Arkansas and UCLA will defend their men's and women's team titles when the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships get underway June 8 at Sacramento State. With its mixture of individual and team competition, the NCAA meet is widely regarded as one of the great spectacles in the world of track and field.

Arkansas is shooting for its 12th men's outdoor national title under legendary coach John McDonnell. The Razorbacks will arrive in Sacramento a strong favorite after qualifying 15 men for nationals from last weekend's Mideast Regional championships in Bloomington, Indiana.

UCLA's women eked out a one-point win over LSU at last year's NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas. This year, the women's favorites are Texas and South Carolina, and it should be a race to the wire since the Longhorns and Gamecocks are strong in the many of the same events.

On the men's side, seven athletes will defend their 2004 titles: Wallace Spearmon of Arkansas (200), Jonathan Johnson of Texas Tech (800), Robert Cheseret of Arizona (5,000), Josh Walker of Florida (110 high hurdles), Kerron Clement of Florida (400 hurdles), Andra Manson of Texas (high jump) and Gabriel Wallin (javelin).

Tyson Gay of Arkansas won't be defending his title in the 100, but he will run the 200. Stanford senior Donald Sage, the NCAA champion in the 1,500 meters as a sophomore in 2002, also qualified.

Three women return to defend their collegiate titles: Stanford's Alicia Craig (10,000), Georgia Tech's Chaunte Howard (high jump) and UCLA's Chelsea Johnson (pole vault).

The sprints should be outstanding, and most of the top contenders are either freshmen or sophomores. The most intriguing individual event of the entire meet is probably the men's 200. Spearmon set an American indoor record of 20.10 in winning the NCAA indoor title in March, and the Arkansas sophomore dropped his outdoor best to 19.97 at the Mt. SAC Relays in April.

But college track is about new faces emerging, and one of the most intriguing newcomers is LSU freshman Xavier Carter. Carter beat Spearmon and Gay at both the Southeastern Conference and Mideast Regional meets. Carter's winning time at regionals was 20.02, the second-fastest in the world this year behind Spearmon's 19.97.

In the 100, another freshman, Florida State's Walter Dix, is the favorite. Dix clocked 10.06, a U.S. junior record, in his qualifying heat at the Mideast Regional in New York. Dix could also be a factor in the 200. He'll be challenged in the 100 by Mississippi State's Steve Mullings and Oklahoma's Dabryan Blanton.

The men's 400 features Baylor senior Darold Williamson, an Olympic gold medalist in the 1,600-meter relay. Williamson won his regional in a season-best 44.76, but he'll be up against two other collegians who have run faster than 45 seconds outdoors - Florida State's Ricardo Chambers (44.87) and LSU's Kelly Willie (44.97).

Kerron Clement set a world indoor record in the 400 at the NCAA indoor meet, clocking 44.57 to eclipse the mark set 10 years earlier by the great Michael Johnson. But Clement is bypassing the flat 400 to concentrate on defending his title in the 400 hurdles. Clement also anchors Florida's 4 x 400 relay that enters the NCAA meet with the fastest collegiate time in the country (3:02.23).

Florida and Florida State are expected to fight it out for second in the men's team competition, although Stanford could also be a factor. The Cardinal is led by Sage (1,500), Ian Dobson (5,000) and Michael Robertson (discus).

The women's sprints are the prime battleground between Texas and South Carolina. Texas sophomore Marshevet Hooker has the fastest collegiate time of the season in the 100 at 11.12. Shalonda Solomon, a South Carolina freshman, leads the 200 at 22.72. The teams also have top contenders in both hurdle races.

After helping the Bruins win the team championship last spring, UCLA's Monique Henderson should finally snare her first collegiate title in the 400-meter dash. Henderson, a member of the U.S. foursome that won an Olympic gold medal in the 1,600 relay in Athens, is the top-seeded entrant in the 400 at 50.78.

On the field, the men's high jump features three athletes who have cleared at least 7 feet, 5.75 inches: Kansas State's Kyle Lancaster, UTEP's Mickael Hanany and USC's Jesse Williams. Howard is a big favorite in the women's high jump, having cleared 6-4.75 twice this spring. The Georgia Tech standout qualified for the Olympic team last summer at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento.

One of the most appealing aspects of the NCAA meet is that athletes from small schools compete on equal footing with their big-conference opponents. Examples this year include Idaho State's Paul Hoffman, the top-seeded entrant in the men's 1,500; Montana's Andrew Levin, seeded second in the decathlon; Florida International sprinter Sheri-Ann Brooks, ranked among the top three in the women's 100 and 200 meters; Butler's Victoria Mitchell, the fastest female steeplechaser in the college ranks; and Columbia's Caroline Bierbaum, the East Regional winner in the 10,000.

Track and field is the oldest of the NCAA championships, going back to 1921. With the advent of regional qualifying in 2003, it's now the largest as well as oldest NCAA championship event. A field of 1,100 athletes will compete in Sacramento.

For the first time since World War II, the NCAA meet has a semi- permanent home. The NCAA track and field committee broke with tradition in awarding the 2005, 2006 and 2007 collegiate track championships to Sacramento. The NCAA meet hasn't been held at the same site in successive years since Marquette University in Milwaukee played host to the 1944-45 championships.

Sacramento State hosted the 2003 NCAA meet, attracting 31,900 fans over four days of competition at the AG. Spanos Sports Complex. Sacramento averaged more than 20,000 spectators over 16 days of competition at the 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.

This year's NCAA competition begins Wednesday, June 8, at 11 a.m. with qualifying in the women's discus. The first day of competition includes the first five events of the decathlon. Thursday's schedule features five finals, including the men's and women's 10,000 meters. Friday's schedule has 14 finals, and Saturday features a nonstop slate of finals from 1:30 p.m. (women's hammer) through 8:45 p.m. (women's 4 x 400 relay).

The team titles are often undecided until the final relay events. At last year's NCAA meet in Austin, UCLA led LSU by six points entering the 4 x 400 relay. LSU, the pre-meet favorite in that event, appeared to have the upper hand, and the Tigers won the race with room to spare, collecting 10 points.

But Henderson, UCLA's anchor, clocked the fastest split in NCAA history (49.6), moving the Bruins from seventh to fourth place on the final lap. Her effort gave UCLA a one-point win over LSU, 69-68.

Tickets for the NCAA Championships can be purchased online at www.tickets.com or by downloading a ticket application at www.sacsports.com. Four- day tickets are priced at $25 to $55. Single-day tickets will be available beginning June 8 at Hornet Stadium. Single-day ticket prices range from $5 (seniors and students, June 8-9) to $20 (reserved seating, June 10- 11). For more information, call (916) 566-2400.