WASHINGTON -- Six student-athletes from Atlantic 10 institutions, four women and two men, have advanced to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon from June 5-8. 

Representing the A-10 in Eugene on the women's side will be Dayton's Casey Bogues (javelin) and Kendall Johnson (long jump), Saint Louis' Samantha Kunza (hammer throw) and VCU's Gudrun Hallgrimsdottir (hammer throw). On the men's side, Davidson's Jayden Smith (110 hurdles) and George Mason's Walt Bannerman (pole vault) will compete in the Championships. 

Bogues, Hallgrimsdottir, Smith and Bannerman were all crowned Atlantic 10 Champions earlier this month at the A-10 Championships. 

Bogues placed 12th in the javelin to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The three time Atlantic 10 champion will return to Eugene, Oregon after her last attempt landed at 48.29m.  The Red Bank, New Jersey native qualified for the Outdoor Championships in 2021 and is the all-time record holder in javelin at UD at 53.80m and boast 12 career wins.

Johnson placed 12th in the long jump and was one of two freshman to advance out of the NCAA East Regional. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native tied for 12th with a mark of 6.16m, but advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Championships thanks to her last jump, which proved to be the tie breaker at 5.99m. Named Outdoor All-Rookie Team by the A-10, Johnson is the first ever freshman in Dayton history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. She is just the fourth ever UD athlete to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships joining Bogues, Barnes and Emily Borchers (Steeplechase).

Kunza's hammer throw of 62.64 meters was good for ninth in the West Region, which punched her ticket to Eugene. She will enter the NCAA Championships ranked 17th in the women's hammer among the 24 national qualifiers. It is Kunza's second year in a row qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the hammer throw. Last season as a senior at the University of Alabama, Kunza finished 18th overall at the Championships in Austin, Texas.

Hallgrimsdottir finished fourth in this event last year to reach the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where she took 15^th to claim Second Team All-America honors. In March, Hallgrimsdottir placed fourth in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston, Mass. This spring, she's been spectacular, racking up a slew of notable wins, including her third straight Atlantic 10 Conference hammer title. Hallgrimsdottir briefly held the nation's top hammer mark this spring and is currently ranked fourth on the NCAA performance list.
 
The third-year hurdler, Smith added to an already impressive career when he became the first Wildcat to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 110-meter hurdles. Smith's race was dominant from start to finish as he surged out of the blocks and charged to the front after the first hurdle. He went on to clear the seven remaining hurdles cleanly and led from virtually start to finish.  When Smith crossed the finish line, he looked back and saw his time posted on the board: 13.46. It tied his season-best mark, but this time, it counted as the wind was a non-factor at +0.1. Smith now adds a NCAA Championship berth to a resume that also features five A-10 gold medals, three regional appearances and all ten of the program's top ten times in 110H. 

Bannerman secured the 10^th spot and a seat in the plane to Eugene, Oregon with a new personal record of 5.32m to move up the George Mason All-Time list to third. The Durham, N.C. native advances to his first NCAA Championship of his career.