Meet: Atlantic 10 Conference Championships
Location: Virginia Beach, Va. (Virginia Beach Sports Center)
Team scores: (5 of 20 events scored) 1 – Rhode Island (46), 2 – George Mason (43), 3 – Loyola Chicago (23), 4 – VCU (21), 5 – UMass (19.5), 6 – Saint Louis (12.5), 7 – La Salle (11), 8 – Fordham (10), 9 – Saint Joseph's (8), 10 – Davidson (1)
 
The short story: Graduate John Casper earned gold in the weight throw to catapult the Rams to fourth place heading into Saturday at the A-10 Championships. 
 
THROWS

• Casper became the A-10 champion in the weight throw with a mark of 20.33 meters, finishing just shy of the conference championship record set by himself in 2024
• Sophomore Devon Brooks shattered his personal record in the weight throw, setting a new best with a mark of 16.25 meters to earn fifth
• Diego Turner also set a new personal record in the weight throw, earning a mark of 15.13 meters to finish ninth in the event 

JUMPS

• The Rams had three members of their team earn top 10 placements in the long jump, with the best performance coming from senior David Coles. Coles earned a mark of 6.94 meters, and Phillip Daniel and Donald Adams finished seventh and eighth with marks of 6.90 meters and 6.84 meters, respectively. 

HURDLES

• Marcus Acheampong qualified with a time of 8.04 seconds to finish first in the 60-meter hurdles prelims. His mark is just .02 seconds shy of his personal best 

SPRINTS

• Jude Okafor qualified for the 400-meter finals with a time of 48.86 seconds, securing the fifth qualifying spot
• Emmanuel Oche finished fifth in the 60-meter dash qualifiers, earning his spot in Saturday's finals
• In the 200-meter prelims, Christian Hallums earned the fourth fastest qualifying time of 21.56 seconds to earn his spot in the finals. His mark sets a new personal best for the freshman

Quote
"We had a job to do today, and we got it done. Winning the men's weight throw was a big moment, and we battled hard across the board. We've faced strong competition, and we know what it will take to be successful. Now, it's time to keep pushing forward." – Head Coach Jon Riley
 
Next up

• The A-10 Championships continue Saturday, March 1 with events scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.