JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - For the second time in as many seasons, George Mason University track & field senior Sarah Moore will compete for a national title after advancing through the NCAA quarterfinals Friday evening in Jacksonville, Fla.

After making it to Eugene for the NCAA Championship in 2018, Moore will head to Austin in early June to again make her mark on the collegiate sport's biggest stage while competing in the 400-meter semifinals.

On Friday, Moore raced out of the blocks and made the final turn in prime position. She closed well and finished third in 52.74 seconds to earn an automatic spot in the semis. Moore qualified in her heat alongside Florida's Sharrika Barnett, an 11-time All-American, and 2019 NCAA national runner up/2016 Rio Olympian Aliyah Abrams of South Carolina.

"Sarah took a big step forward from yesterday," associate head coach Randy Bungard said. "She ran decent in the first round but not quite like last year. We talked after the race yesterday about how to deal with the pressure of getting back to the national meet. She ran just to run today and didn't worry about the result. She looked so much more fluid out there. It was a vintage Sarah performance."

Elsewhere, senior Rico Gomez nearly matched Moore with an NCAA bid while finishing in a personal-best time for the second consecutive 400-meter race. On Thursday, Gomez advanced to the quarters after finishing in a PR of 46.45 seconds.

In lane one Friday, the Upper Marlboro, Md., product came down the home stretch with blazing speed and crossed the finish line in a career-low 46.43 seconds. The finish placed him just .25 seconds and three spots out of a spot in Austin. Gomez finished 15th in the quarterfinals of the 400-meter.

Later in the evening, three Mason student-athletes competed in the 3000-meter steeplechase. On the women's side, freshman Annabelle Eastman looked solid in her NCAA preliminary debut, placing ninth in her heat and 27th overall with a time of 10.29.42.

Junior Khalilah Hamer also gained valuable experience in her first NCAA meet and finished 44th with a time of 10:49.83.

For the men, graduate student Trent Lancaster made his second preliminary appearance Friday and made strides as the race progressed. He finished 40th overall in the race with a time of 9:22.32.

The Patriots wrap up NCAA preliminary competition Saturday with a pair of events. First, sophomore Jaylen Simmons makes his first NCAA appearance in the shot put at 2:30 p.m. Then, Mason's men's 4x400m relay team caps the day with a race at 9:45 p.m.

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