May 15, 2004

Results

LAS VEGAS - UNLV closed out the final day of action with two individual titles on Saturday at the 2004 Mountain West Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by UNLV at Myron Partridge Stadium/Sheila Tarr Smith Field. The Rebels finished in sixth place, four points behind Utah after injuries kept two key athletes out of their events.

Junior Christine Spence broke her own MWC record in the high jump (first set in the heptathlon on Wednesday) with a new conference and MWC championship meet record mark of 6 feet and 3/4 inches on the way to claiming her first-ever conference individual title. Spence is also the only one from the conference to have ever cleared six feet.

Classmate Halima Decree joined Spence atop the trophy platform, as she also won her first career individual conference title while staking her claim as the fastest woman in the MWC, winning the 100m dash in a photo finish. DeCree finished in a time of 11.60, just .01 ahead of San Diego State's Nicole Ireland (11.61).

Also scoring on the final day of events for UNLV was DeCree again in the 200m dash, as she took third in a time of 23.75. Spence added a seventh place run in the 400m hurdles (1:06.46), while Miesha McClendon took fourth in the 100m hurdles in a time of 14.07. Nicole Duhart was a surprise scorer in the triple jump, turning in a career-best jump of 40 feet, 1/2 inch, good for fourth place and just off the NCAA regional qualifying mark. The final points of the day came from the relays, as both the 4x100m (45.41) and the 4x400m (3:47.07) finished in third place. UNLV looked to have points from Kiyota Reed, who had made the finals in both the 100m dash and 100m hurdles, but she was forced to scratch after pulling a muscle in her leg during the 4x100m relay, while Tiffany Smith was one of the favorites in the triple jump, but also scratched due to an injury.

BYU won the team title for the fourth time in five years with 228 points, while defending champion San Diego State was second with 160 points. Colorado State took third (117), while Wyoming was fourth (96), Utah fifth (62), UNLV sixth (58), Air Force seventh (50), and New Mexico rounded out the field in eighth (46).

Next up for the Rebels is the NCAA West Regionals, held at Northridge, Calif., on May 28-29. UNLV has five athletes with qualifying marks for the regionals: Halima Decree (100m, 200m dash), Kiyota Reed (100m hurdles), Miesha McClendon (13.94), Christine Spence (high jump, 400m hurdles), Tiffany Smith (triple jump), as well as the 4x100m relay.

2004 Mountain West Conference ChampionshipsMyron Partridge Stadium/Shelia Tarr Smith Field - Las VegasFinal UNLV Results (Top eight only)Team Scores -
1. BYU (261)
2. San Diego State (160)
3. Colorado State (117)
4. Wyoming (96)
5. Utah (62)
6. UNLV (58)
7. Air Force (50)
8. New Mexico (46)
100 METER DASH - 1. Halima Decree (11.60*).200 METER DASH - 3. Halima Decree (23.75*).100 METER HURDLES - 4. Miesha McClendon (14.07).400 METER HURDLES - 7. Christine Spence (1:06.46).4x100 METER RELAY - 3. UNLV (Spence, DeCree, McClendon, Reed - 45.41*).4x400 METER RELAY - 3. UNLV (Appuglise, Hunt, Patin, Jones - 3:47.07).HIGH JUMP - 1. Christine Spence (6 feet, 3/4  inch*#).TRIPLE JUMP - 4. Nicole Duhart (40 feet, 1/2  inch)* = NCAA provisional qualifying mark# - Mountain West Conference Record