NORFOLK, Va. - Norfolk State men's track and field senior sprinter Steve Coles and redshirt sophomore hurdler Allan Frye will compete at the 2016 Division I Men's Outdoor Track & Field East Preliminary Round that will be held May 26-28 in Jacksonville, Fla.

Coles and Frye both qualified for their first preliminary meet, which will be hosted this year by the University of North Florida. Coles will run in the 400-meter dash, and Frye will compete in the 400-meter hurdles. The first round for both events will be contested on Thursday, May 26.

Coles is ranked 21st among East regional participants in the 400. He ran a personal-best time of 46.08 seconds at this year's MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship at North Carolina A&T State on May 7, placing second in the event final in his most recent race this season.

He led NSU to a fifth place finish at the MEAC Championship, and in the process shaved more than a second off of his previous career best of 47.20, set at the Morgan State Legacy Meet last year. He took second place overall and first among collegiate runners at Morgan State.

Earlier this outdoor season, Frye qualified for the East preliminary round when he broke the previous meet record at the Fred Hardy Invitational at the University of Richmond, running a time of 52.33. There, he finished as the fastest collegian in the competition. He is ranked 46th among the 48 athletes who will compete in the event in Jacksonville next week.

Both Frye and Coles have earned the chance to compete at this year's NCAA East Preliminary due to their accomplishments this outdoor season. Only the top 48 declared student-athletes in each event qualify for each of the East and West preliminary rounds. From there, the top 12 finishers in each event from both sites will comprise the 24-athlete field in this year's NCAA Outdoor National Championships. This year's national meet is scheduled for June 8-11 and will be hosted by the University of Oregon.