LEXINGTON, Ky. – Norfolk State freshman Jaylen Banks was among the top 24 qualifiers in the men's 400 meter hurdles on Thursday night at the NCAA East Preliminary Round hosted by the University of Kentucky, putting him one step away from advancing to the NCAA National Outdoor Championships.

Banks finished his heat in 52.51 seconds and earned the last of three automatic qualifying spots from his race. Overall, he ran the 21st-fastest time of the 24 athletes who advanced from Thursday's 48-man prelims. 

Banks next races at 7:15 p.m. Friday in what is considered the national quarterfinal round, or the last round of the East Preliminary meet. He must finish among the top 12 in the next round to earn a berth to the University of Oregon, the site for next month's national outdoor meet.

Teammate Rashad Ramsey also competed in the 400 hurdles on Thursday. Ramsey clocked a time of 53.44 seconds, finishing 35th out of 48. Ramsey, who earned a bronze medal in the event at the MEAC outdoor meet earlier this month, concluded his stellar two-year NSU career with Thursday's race.

The Spartan women also were in action Thursday night, represented by freshman Martha Bissah in the 800 meters. The MEAC indoor and outdoor champion in the half-mile, Bissah ran a time of 2 minutes, 8.82 seconds, good for fifth in her heat. Though she ran the 24th-fastest time out of the 48 first-round competitors, she did not finish among the top three in her heat or have one of the next six-fastest times overall, missing out on advancing to the next round by some 22 one-hundredths of a second.

In addition to Banks, the Spartans will also have sophomore Taejah Robertson competing in the 100-meter hurdles on Friday.