The Butler track and field teams split this weekend to compete in the Miami Invitational in Oxford, Ohio, and the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

Sophomore Tom Curr placed third in the men’s 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:42.79 in Arizona. Junior Ross Clarke recorded a time of 3:43.94 and finished in sixth place.

Sophomore Kodi Mullins finished second in the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, finishing in 9:14.39.

In Ohio, freshman Luke Zygmunt came away with a second-place finish in the men’s 1,500-meter race in 3:53.82.

Sophomore Mara Olson also finished second on the women’s side of the same race with a time of 4:33.29, and senior Lauren McKillop recorded a third-place finish with a time of 4:33.91.

At the Miami Invitational, the men finished seventh overall, and the women took sixth.

Both teams have the weekend off from competition before traveling to Walnut, Calif., to compete in the Mt. Sac Relays on April 18.

Four short months ago, Butler men’s and women’s cross country brought home the first two Atlantic-1o Conference titles in school history.

This past weekend, runners from both teams blended with the rest of the track team to try their hands – rather, feet – at another new meet: the Atlantic-1o Indoor Track and Field Championships.

This time, though, the goal was a little different.

“We haven’t been in the conference before, and the conference is ever-changing,” said head coach Matt Roe, “so we didn’t really score the meet out. But we felt like we could win some individual and relay titles, and that was a goal which we achieved.

“Other than that, we wanted to run the best that we had run all year indoors, and use the momentum from this meet to prepare for the outdoor season.”

When final scores came around, Butler’s men had jumped (from being out of the top five on Day 1) to fourth place with 68 points. The women had improved (from eleventh) to ninth with 39. Charlotte took both team titles with 190.5 points for the men and 142.5 for the women.

But Butler’s rather low scores certainly don’t tell the whole story.

One relay team and three individual athletes captured titles at the conference championships this year. Junior Craig Jordan was one of them, winning the men’s 1000m run in a time of 2:27.33.

“I was really, really happy about it,” Jordan said. “It was a long weekend because I usually don’t race that much. So I didn’t really care about the time as long as I won.”

Sophomores Tom Curr and Mara Olson also won their respective races. Curr won the men’s mile, clocking 4:16.48, while Olson was the champ of the 3000m run in 9:46.95.

Olson’s title comes only a week after being named A-1o Performer of the Week.

“It’s been a very interesting indoor season,” said Olson, who’s become a sort of specialist in the 3000m despite this being her first season doing it. “We didn’t have a specific tactic going into the (3000m) race,” she said. “Honestly, Lauren McKillop was the MVP. She got it down to a four-man race, and gave us the opportunity to go one-two. I was happier to finish one-two than to win it. That made up for some of the other disappointments of the day.”

The men’s Distance Medley Relay of Curr, Jordan, sophomore Kellan Strobel and junior Alex Berry took the fourth Butler win. Their relay covered 4000m in a time of 10:00.87, just missing the A-1o record of 10:00.09.

“I wasn’t aware of what the record was,” Jordan said. “We were just running to win it. LaSalle had a guy who could’ve run with Tom (Curr in the mile), but they were trying to strategize. And because they did that, they didn’t have anyone to run a good mile. Tom put 5 seconds on (LaSalle’s runner) even though we were behind by three.”

Along with the four titles, a handful of others finished in the top five positions of their events.

Tom Anderson was runner-up in two events, the 3000m run (8:24.86) and 5000m run (14:25.56).

“It kind of summed up the weekend,” Anderson said. “We were almost there, but we just barely missed out on having a really good meet.

“On the whole, I’m happy. I would’ve loved a gold medal, but that’s just motivation for me for outdoors. And it was a good weekend and some great performances all around.”

Anderson finished just .44 seconds behind LaSalle’s Alfredo Santana in the 3000m and a little more than a second behind him in the 5000m.

“The support was fantastic,” Anderson said. “It was unbelievable. I’ve never raced in an atmosphere like it. It was the highlight of the weekend to see everybody behind the 5k race the way they were. It kind of brought the whole team together.”

Also on the men’s side, junior Ross Clarke finished third in the 1000m run with a time of 2:27.69, while freshman Luke Zygmunt placed fifth (2:29.22). In addition to winning the mile, Curr was fifth in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:56.97. Butler also finished fourth in both the men’s 1600m and 3200m relays.

For the women, senior Kirsty Legg and Olson went two-three in the women’s mile, clocking 4:56.83 and 4:57.97, respectively. Senior Lauren McKillop finished second in the 3000m run with a time of 9:48.74, and third in the 5000m run, clocking 17:11.80.

Despite the rather meager team finish, McKillop said that just being at the Atlantic-1o Indoor Championships for the first time was a major stepping stone for the squad.

“I think we would’ve really liked to finish top six or so,” she said, adding that there were a few people who probably should’ve scored but didn’t, affecting the team score. “But everyone has off days, and I’m happy with my performance. Hopefully we’ll use this as a starting point to do better – I really think it’s going to motivate us.”

Coach Roe said he was “happy with the effort across the board.” He had a few words for his teams after the meet, but according to runners from both the men’s and women’s squads, it was all positive.

“He just told us to remember the feeling we have,” Jordan said. “Whether we did well or didn’t, remember how we feel, and apply it to our training. That’s the one thing he kept saying: remember how we feel now when May comes.”

Coach Roe also said he will review this week’s training before he decides who to send to the Alex Wilson Invitational, the last chance meet for runners to qualify for NCAA Division I Indoor Nationals. Hosted by Notre Dame, Alex Wilson will be held on March 1^st and 2^nd in South Bend, Ind.

For most teams, splitting a squad up is usually done due to one of three things: injury, illness or disciplinary consequences.

For the Butler track and field team, it’s a little different.

This past weekend, members traveled to multiple meets, but not because of sickness, injured athletes or violating team rules.

The split was completely by choice.

Approximately a dozen Butler runners headed to Bloomington with an assistant coach for the Hoosier Hills Invitational, hosted by Indiana.

Others went to Anderson while a handful of athletes didn’t compete this weekend.

Four other runners flew to the West Coast with coach Matt Roe for the University of Washington’s Husky Classic, held in Seattle.

Roe said in an email that specific meets are better designed for specific athletes.

“Our schedule is composed to give the most appropriate competitive opportunities available for each student-athlete. There are a myriad of items to consider when deciding when and where each individual is to compete.”

He mentioned race distance, health, fitness, long-term and short-term development and academic schedules, all of which vary for each athlete. Roe also said some athletes aren’t racing simply because of the upcoming Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships.

Senior Kirsty Legg didn’t get the weekend off. An All-American in the 1,500-meter run, Legg holds a personal record of 4:40.25 in the mile. This past weekend – her fourth time running in the meet – she placed 14th in the women’s mile at the Husky Classic, racing among multiple All-Americans and pros.

Sophomores Mara Olson and Tom Curr went out to Seattle as well. Olson won her event, beating out more than 30 other runners in the 3,000-meter run and posting a personal record in the process with a time of 9:29.05.

“I like competing at these high-intensity meets,” Olson said. “The atmosphere is more competitive, which can lead to some fast times.”

Curr was 19th overall in the men’s mile with a time of 4:03.14, and junior teammate Ross Clarke was 12th in his section of the same race.

Closer to home, senior Kaitlyn Love competed at the Hoosier Hills Invite. She said that while splitting the team gives people opportunities to compete at a higher level, there were races at the Husky Classic in which the majority of the team could have competed.

“We have so many different talent levels,” Love said. “We have the extreme, and then we have people who really need to go to smaller meets.

“There were some great athletes (at the Husky Classic). But we all probably would’ve done just fine.”

Love ran in the 800-meter race at IU on Saturday—separate from the ordinary 800-meter run—and the fastest heat of the event. Despite confusion with the rabbit, who dictates the early pace in races, Love finished seventh in a time of 2:15.73, which would have been good for 29th at the Husky Classic.

Another big contrast between the meets is the number of professional runners at each event.

The Hoosier Hills Invite had a handful of unattached athletes. In Love’s equivalent race at the Husky Classic, nearly half of the runners were professional or some other form of post-collegiate athlete.

“Just four went to Seattle, so it really doesn’t make a huge difference,” Love said. “I do think it’s good to split sometimes though. And (some of my teammates) got a good challenge and into races that are more competitive.”

The team likely won’t divide again until the outdoor season for the Mt. SAC Relays in California. Next week, all athletes will be in Kingston, R.I., for the A-10 Indoor Championships.

Butler track and field athletes competed at multiple meets last weekend.

Four athletes competed at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash.

Sophomore Mara Olson won the women’s 3,000-meter run in a time of 9:29.05, defeating more than 50 other racers for the title.

Senior Kirsty Legg finished 14th overall in the women’s mile, clocking  4:54.91.

Sophomore Tom Curr and junior Ross Clarke competed in the men’s mile.

Curr finished 19th overall with a time of 4:03.14, and Clarke finished 12th in his section.

Back in Bloomington, Ind., several other athletes ran at the Hoosier Hills Invite.  Three athletes finished in the top 10 of their events.

Sophomore Nicole Hudec finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 11.01 meters and placed 10th in the 60-meter run with a time of 7.89.

Also on the women’s side, senior Kaitlyn Love clocked 2:15.73 in the women’s 800-meter run, taking 7th.

The team heads to Rhode Island this weekend for the Atlantic 10 Conference Indoor Championships.

The Butler men’s and women’s track and field teams participated in the Meyo Invitational at Notre Dame last weekend.

Junior Craig Jordan had the best individual performance for the Bulldogs.

Jordan finished third in the men’s 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:26.31.

Grzegorz Kalinowski of Eastern Michigan and Scott Leitch of Western Ontario finished first and second, respectively.

Senior Lauren McKillop had the best performance for the Butler women, finishing fourth in the women’s 5,000-meter run with a time of 16:40.60.

Sophomore Tom Curr placed ninth in the men’s Meyo Mile with a time of 4:05.35.

Senior Kirsty Legg finished 11th in the women’s Meyo Mile in a time of 4:58.56.

Junior Alex Berry came in fourth in the men’s 500-meter run with a time of 1:04.80, breaking his own school record set last year.

Butler will be sending several athletes to the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., this weekend.

The rest of the team will participate in the Hoosier Hills meet in Bloomington.

Men’s and women’s track sent partial squads to Bloomington this weekend, posting two wins and a handful of top 10 finishes at Indiana’s Gladstein Invitational.

Junior Alex Berry won the men’s 400-meter dash in a time of 49.11 seconds, just shy of his own school record. In the men’s 800-meter invitational race, junior Craig Jordan posted a time of 1:53.63, out-leaning second-place finisher and teammate Tom Curr, who clocked 1:53.69 for third.

Berry was also third in the men’s 600-meter run with a time of 1:22.27. Junior Andrew Wallace posted 1:24.17 for sixth place.

On the distance side, junior Tom Anderson finished fourth in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:20.70. Ross Clarke clocked 4:19.67, good for seventh in the men’s invitational mile-run.

Also in the top 10, Mick Wang clocked 8.53 in the 60-meter hurdles.

For the women, sophomore Nicole Hudec was seventh in the triple jump. Amy Wright placed ninth in the 600-meter race with a time of 1:43.88.

Both teams head back to Bloomington this weekend for the Indiana Relays.

The Butler men’s and women’s cross country teams sent full squads to the 57th Annual Notre Dame Invitational this past weekend – or at least, they were supposed to.

The entirety of the nationally-ranked women’s team (No. 21) was scratched from the meet, in hopes of both keeping legs fresh and avoiding additional injuries, and a handful of guys from the men’s crew sat the race out.

The men’s squad that did make it up to Notre Dame placed 16^th in a field of 20, suffering against No. 10 Florida State, No. 11 North Carolina State, and No. 14 Texas A&M, as well as seven other nationally-ranked teams.

“We had some bright spots,” said cross country coach Matt Roe. “And we had some spots where we could’ve done better.

“When your first guy doesn’t finish in a race like that, it’s just too much to overcome.”

Sophomore Tom Curr dropped out mid-way through the 8k course, putting sophomore Harry Ellis in position to be first finisher for the team. Ellis crossed the line in 41st place with a time of 24:25.

Freshman Erik Peterson was 64th with a time of 24:38, followed by senior Kevin Oblinger in 78th (24:47), junior Tom Anderson in 82nd (24:50), and senior Matt Proctor in 99th (25:02). Kodi Mullins and Chris Kelsey finished 123rd and 128th, respectively.

In the open race, junior Ross Clarke covered the course in 25:41, good for 10th place. Freshman Keigan Culler was steps behind in 14th (25:53), while junior Craig Jordan (26:41) placed 26th. Freshman Sage Kosiorek (26:56) was 29th.

As for the women, Roe said he made his decision to hold them out because of wanting to rest them this week.

“We didn’t feel like we needed to force it,” he said. “The meet we’re preparing for is the biggest of the year – that being said, the goal is to be running and running our best on the last day of the season, which is the national meet.”

Both teams will travel to Louisville for the NCAA Pre-National Meet on Oct. 13.

The Butler cross country team finished second in the men’s competition at the Indiana Intercollegiate Meet in Terre Haute on Friday.
The Hoosiers took home the team championship in the 27-team field, finishing with 49 points. The Bulldogs came in second with 70 points, followed by host Indiana State with 79 points.
Sophomore Tom Curr had the best finish for Butler in the 8-kilometer men’s race, placing third with a time of 24:57.
Indiana State freshman John Mascari took top honors in the event, and senior teammate Albaro Escalera captured second place.
Sophomore James Martin came in 12th place for the Bulldogs, crossing the line with a time of 25:14. Freshman Erik Peterson grabbed 14th place with a time of 25:21 and was followed by sophomore Harry Ellis in 15th place (25:22).
In his first race with Butler, junior Tom Anderson ran a time of 25:44 for a 27th-place finish.
The squad will compete at the Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 28. The women’s team will be in action on Friday at the Toledo Interregional Bubble Buster.

The Butler track and field team competed in two meets in two different states last weekend and recorded two new school records and multiple strong finishes.

Photo courtesy of Dustin Livesay

Two Butler records fell at Indiana University’s Polytan Invitational.

Freshman Nicole Hudec broke her own school record in the triple jump again with a leap of 35-10—good for fifth place.

Hudec then teamed with sophomore Maddie Cassidy and freshmen Kelly Davidson and Bria Booker in the 400-meter relay. The quartet’s time of 50.30 was good for a new school record and fifth place overall.

Hudec also took fifth place in the women’s long jump while freshman Kodi Mullins clocked a fifth-place time of 9:16.84 in the men’s steeplechase.

At the Mount Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., the Bulldogs’ distance team had another impressive showing, this time led by assistant coach Mason Cathey.

Cathey finished runner-up in the women’s invitational elite steeplechase, and her time of 9:48.67 was the fastest by an American woman this year.

In the women’s 1500-meter run, junior Kirsty Legg clocked a time of 4:21.32 to finish fourth in her section and 12th of 124 finishers.

Freshman Mara Olson’s time of 4:32.43 was good for ninth place in her section, and junior Kaitlyn Love’s time of 4:32.43 gave her a 14th-place finish in her section.

On the men’s side, freshman Tom Curr posted an eighth-place overall finish in the 1500-meter run, finishing in a time of 3:45.98.

Sophomore Ross Clarke placed sixth in his section of the event, clocking a time of 3:50.13.

The team will compete at home Friday in the Stan Lyons Invitational.

The Butler track and field team was once again led by the distance squad—this time at Indiana State’s Pacesetter Invitational in Terre Haute last weekend.

The team posted nearly a dozen top-five finishes in various distance events at the four-team meet, including four first-place showings.

Freshman Tom Curr won the men’s 800-meter run, completing the race in a time of 1:50.57 and breaking the event’s nine-year-old meet record.

Also setting a meet record was sophomore Craig Jordan, whose time of 8:58.84 in the steeplechase was good for a victory and broke a one-year-old best time.

The Bulldogs’ other two first-place finishes came from senior Rebecca Howarth in the women’s 5000-meter run (17:23.72) and junior Shelbi Burnett in the women’s steeplechase (10:47.92).

Burnett followed her steeplechase performance with a third-place finish in the 1500-meter run and was also named the Horizon League Women’s Track Athlete of the Week for April 9 through April 15.

Junior Alyson Fosnot took fifth place in the women’s 5-kilometer run with a time of 17:54.52, and Kevin Oblinger finished third in the men’s steeplechase in 9:19.54.

In the women’s 800-meter run, junior Kirsty Legg took second place, and fellow junior Kaitlyn Love nabbed fifth place.

Redshirt freshman Harry Ellis was the fifth-place finisher in the men’s 1500-meter run with a time of 3:57.73.

In the sprints, freshman Nicole Hudec took fifth place in the 100-meter dash, recording a time of 12.83.

The team will compete next at the Mt. Sac relays in Walnut, Calif., and at the Polytan Invitational in Bloomington this weekend.