May 18, 2001

Box Score

SAN DIEGO - UNLV junior javelin thrower Jennifer Gardner topped her season best throw by nearly 20 feet on Friday to post an upset second-place finish at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the SDSU Sports Deck.

Gardner's mark of 151-09 tops her previous career best of 134-02 and ranks as the third-best toss in UNLV history. Her second place finish in the event scored eight of UNLV's 12 points on the day, good for sixth place in the team standings.

Also scoring for UNLV in finals on Friday were junior Charlotte Covington, sophomore Belisa Suarez and senior Jenni Lopez. Covington added two points with a seventh-place effort in the pole vault, clearing 10-03. Suarez and Lopez each tallied eight-place finishes in the long jump and 10,000 meters, respectively.

The Rebels should have plenty of opportunities to increase that total on Saturday with 13 individuals and two relay teams competing in finals. Nickeisha Charles advanced to the finals of the 200 meters, ranking ninth by time after Friday's preliminaries. She will also race in the 400 meters as the No. 2 seed.

Freshman Christine Spence finished fifth in the prelims of the 400-meter hurdles. She will run in the finals on Saturday and compete for the league high jump title.

Action at the SDSU Sports Deck gets underway at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.