DAYTON - University of Dayton track and field redshirt junior Casey Bogues and freshman Kendall Johnson will compete on Thursday at the NCAA East Regional hosted by the University of Kentucky. Bogues will compete in the javelin throw and Johnson will look to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the long jump. The East Regional is made up of the top 48 student-athletes in the eastern region. Both Bogues and Johnson aim to be in the top 12 in their respected events to qualify for the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon in June. 

COACH'S QUOTE

"Having both Kendall and Casey at the NCAA East Preliminary Round together is a huge accomplishment in itself. Kendall has been nothing short of phenomenal this outdoor season after coming off an amazing indoor season winning multiple A-10 Rookie of the Week honors as well as being named to the Indoor A-10 All-Rookie Team. Kendall handles pressure situations like a seasoned veteran and she leads by example. Kendall has been able to focus on improving week after week and instead of letting big meets overwhelm her, she creates big moments. Casey has continued to impress us year after year. This outdoor season she has been able to put together huge technical changes into her throw. Even though this is her third NCAA East Preliminary Appearance, her confidence and trust in training has elevated her to new heights. When you talk about the challenges you face during a season and what she has been able to overcome in just this season alone, I don't think this version of Casey is going to put anything less than her best on display this Thursday." -Kevin Gilhuly 

OUTDOOR SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

Bogues claimed her third Atlantic 10 title in javelin earlier this month in Fairfax, Virginia. The redshirt junior now has four wins on the outdoor season and boast the six best throws in the conference this year. Her win at the Ball State University We Fly Challenge marked the third best throw in the east region at 53.19 meters. 

Johnson finished second at the A-10 Championships in the long jump (6.00m). The Tulsa, Oklahoma native has multiple wins this season including long jump victories at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational at Cincinnati and the Jesse Owens Track and Field Classic at Ohio State. Her school record jump at UC (6.32m) is also the best jump this year in the conference and the 18th best jump in the east region.

NCAA EAST REGIONAL SCHEDULE

The javelin throw starts at 11:30 AM on Thursday, with Bogues competing in the third flight with each flight featuring 16 throwers. Johnson will compete in the long jump at 3:00 PM on Thursday, the freshman is in the third flight with each flight featuring 12 jumpers. Both events will take place at University of Kentuky Outdoor Track and Field Facility and for more information on the East Regional in Lexington, Kentucky, click on the links above.