June 7, 2005

LAS VEGAS - Christine Spence will be competing for her third career All-American honor while UNLV track and field teammate Halima Decree will try and sprint to her first at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento, Calif.

The championship meet will be held at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex in Sacramento, Calif., on June 8-11 and features the top schools and individuals from four different regionals across the country. The top-eight finishers in each event earn All-America honors.

Spence qualified in two events for the Rebels as the senior two-time All-American won the 400-meter hurdles and finished fifth in the high jump at the NCAA West Regional Championships held two weeks ago in Eugene, Ore.

Spence earned her first All-America award last year at the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing seventh in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 57.20. The senior garnered her second All-America during the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, placing eighth in the pentathlon with 4,036 points to set the UNLV school record in the event.

Spence's best chance at earning All-America honors is in the 400 meter hurdles as she has the eighth-fastest time in the country entering the championships with a mark of 57.30, which she ran at the MT Sac Relays on April 15. At the West Regional she won the event with a time of 58.50. She has the 16th-best mark in the country in the high jump, clearing 5'-11.25" earlier this year at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships.

The opening round of the 400 meter hurdles is Thursday at 3:00 p.m. (PT) while qualifying for the high jump finals is at 3:00 p.m. Friday is the semifinals for the 400 meter hurdles and then Saturday is the finals for both the high jump and the hurdles.

DeCree has clocked the third-fastest time in the 100 meters this spring, running an 11.25 at the MT Sac Relays and she qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships by placing second at the West Regional with a time of 11.61.

DeCree begins her path toward All-America honors Wednesday as the opening round of the 100 meters begins at 5:55 p.m. and then the semis are later that evening at 7:25.

Fans can follow the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Championships by clicking here.