Richmond, Va. – Five Rams – John Casper, Emmanuel Oche, David Coles, Isaiah-Taji Kargbo-Owens and Philip Daniel – each qualified for the NCAA East Regional First Round hosted in Jacksonville, Fla. May 28-31. 
 
Coles, Kargbo-Owens, and Daniel will represent VCU in the triple jump, with Oche competing in the 100 meter dash and Casper in the hammer throw. 
 
Coles earned silver in the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships in the triple jump with a distance of 15.61 meters, ranking ninth in the East Region. Kargbo-Owens earned bronze at the A-10 Championships with a top distance of 15.26 meters. The Falls Church, Va. native currently owns the 16th best mark in the East Region with a jump of 15.45 meters recorded at the UCF Black and Gold Challenge. 
 
Daniel rounds out the triple jump trio with the 10th-best mark in the region, posting a personal best of 15.54 meters at the UCF Black and Gold Challenge as well. 
 
Oche, the only sprinter heading to Jacksonville for the Black and Gold, recorded a personal best of 10.23 seconds in the 100 meters, ranking him fourth in the East Region. The sophomore also claimed silver at the A-10 Outdoor Championships.
 
Casper earned Co-Most Outstanding Field Performer at the A-10 Championships where he took gold in the hammer as well as the discus. The graduate earned the 29th best mark in the hammer in the East Region with a best distance of 64.37 meters recorded at the Dani Palooza Last Chance meet. 
 
The hammer throw will be held on Wednesday, May 28 at 10 a.m., the 100-meter dash will run on the same day at 7 p.m., and the triple jump will take place on Friday, May 30 at 2:30 p.m.
 
The East First Round feature the top 48 student-athletes in the eastern region in each event. The top 12 finishers in each event this week will qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.