ALBUQUERQUE – Shippensburg University sophomore Neely Spence won the national title in the 5,000-meter run on Saturday night from the 2010 Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 17:19.98 to become just the second individual indoor national champion in school history.

Overall, with Spence's national championship and the DMR's second-place effort on Friday, Shippensburg totaled 18 points to finish in a tie for 11th place overall - the highest finish at the indoor national championships in school history. It is also the first time that the Lady Raiders have scored in more than one event at the national championships.

Spence is the first individual indoor national champion since Kathleen Stec won the 3,000-meter title during the 1988 season and the first indoor All-American since Tunisia Lacy finished eighth in the triple jump during the 2005 season.

A pack headlined by Spence and Queens (N.C.) senior Tanya Zeferjahn, the top two seeds entering the race, began to make their moves with five laps to go after the field maintained a deliberate pace in the altitude through the first 3,000 meters of the race. Spence made her move with three laps to go and possessed the staying power to hold off Zeferjahn while Mansfield's Brenae Edwards made a sensational late run to earn third place.

Notes: Also on Saturday, junior Rebekah Newhart cleared 5-feet, 5 inches in the high jump to earn an 11th-place finish.