GAINESVILLE, Fla. & RICHMOND, Va. – The NSU men's track made a strong showing at a pair of meets over the weekend as the Spartans opened outdoor season at the Florida Relays and the Fred Hardy Invitational.

NSU's field athletes fared well in both meets, while the distance runners excelled at the Fred Hardy Invitational and sprinters and hurdlers did likewise at the Florida Relays.

At Richmond, four Spartans placed in the top 10 of the 3,000 meters. Freshman Evans Cheruiyot won the event in 8 minutes, 29.69 seconds. He was followed by teammates Meshack Kipchirchir in third (8:32.80), Lelei Too in sixth (8:42.91) and Festus Bett in ninth place (9:12.58).

Also at Richmond, sophomore Patrick Booker registered a new personal record in the pole vault. He cleared 13 feet, 5.25 inches, good for fourth place.

At the Florida Relays, NSU showed its depth in the high jump. Juniors Jacob Milton and Garth Warner both competed in the invitational section of the high jump. Milton placed fourth with a top height of 6-11, while Warner was ninth with a best effort of 6-9.

Junior Kequan Henley competed in the college section of the high jump and cleared a PR of 6-7. He placed 13th.

On the track, junior Jaylen Banks had the highest finish of any Spartan in Florida. He came in fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in 51.47 seconds. His time currently ranks sixth in the NCAA's East Region. Banks also ran a PR in the 110 hurdles, clocking a 14.56 that placed him 24th overall (third in his heat).

Banks also played a role in a strong showing for the 4x400 relay. He teamed with Trequan Barnes, Keith Brown and Justin Pinder to post a time of 3:13.29, 21st overall and third in its heat.

The Spartans will look to build on those performances when they compete this Thursday through Saturday at the Colonial Relays hosted by William & Mary.