RALEIGH, N.C. — Vann Moffett and Cameron Avery broke their own program records at the Raleigh Relays and put themselves in position for potential NCAA qualification.

Moffett produced a time of 13:58.51 in the 5000 meters. That eclipsed the Stony Brook outdoor record he had set back in 2019 at the 125th Penn Relays with a time of 14:07.32.

Avery had a time of 29:14.27 in the 10000 meters. That topped a program-record 29:26.81 he produced in 2019 at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Also competing for Stony Brook:

• Robert Becker produced a personal-best time of 3:47.02 in the 1500 meters.

• Chris Biondi had a time of 14:10.98 in the 5000 meters.

"It's been nearly two years since my last 5K on the track," Moffett said. "So to be able to go out there and run a personal best sets things up well for the rest of the season. I was happy to break 14:00 too. That's a big barrier for distance runners."

Said Avery: "Raleigh was all about securing a qualifier for the NCAA first round. We're confident we achieved that, but the 10K is a different beast, and this was a stark reminder of that. There were definitely positives to take away from the race, but a lot of good lessons, too. So I'm excited to get back to the grindstone and make sure I'm prepared for what comes next."

For the opening two rounds of the NCAAs, the country is split into East and West regions.

Normally, the top 48 performances make the first round. However, because of COVID-19, the NCAA has reduced that number to 32 per event this year.

Right now, Avery is 15th nationally in the 10000 and Moffett is 20th nationally in the 5000.

"Reducing the field by a third has made qualification very tough," Stony Brook coach Andy Ronan said. "It was great for the guys to get the opportunity to compete against some of the best men's programs in the country, such as the University of Washington, Notre Dame, Virginia and North Carolina State, to name a few. All four of them took full advantage and produced quality performances.

"Cameron Avery and Vann Moffett not only broke school records, but put themselves well in contention for spots at the NCAA first round in Jacksonville, Fla., at the end of May."