The Butler track and field team continued breaking both personal and school records in its push toward a Horizon League Championship.
The Bulldogs competed in the Flotrack Husky Classic, hosted by the University of Washington, last weekend.
Coach Matt Roe said his athletes performed very well in an invitational that is recognized as one of the most competitive meets in the country.
“There is a high entry status just to be able to compete,” Roe said. “We competed really well against some of the best athletes in the country.”
Freshman Tom Curr set a personal best after finishing fourth in the men’s invitational mile with a time of 4:00.11. This time beat his previous best of 4:00.73 set just a week ago at the Meyo Invitational.
Roe said that the four-minute mile is one of the most recognizable barriers in the sport and that it is a standard that is hard to meet.
Curr’s performance places him as the second fastest freshman in the country and 24th overall in that event.
Curr’s performance also came one week after being named the Horizon League Track and Field Athlete of the Week. It was Curr’s second time being honored with this award.
Junior Katie Clark also had a record-breaking day with her performance in the women’s 5,000-meter run.
Clark finished ninth with a time of 16:21.21, breaking her own school record of 16:28.02 set a year ago.
“Every athlete just wants to run a PR (personal record),” Clark said. “It just shows that you are in the shape of your life, and that’s exciting for me.”
Butler picked up another ninth-place finish from sophomore Callum Hawkins with a 14:03.67 finish in the men’s 5,000-meter run. Despite it being his first attempt in the event, Hawkins recorded the third-fastest time in school history.
Other notable finishes for the Bulldogs included 12th-place finishes from junior Kirsty Legg in the women’s invitational mile and sophomore Ross Clarke in the men’s 3,000-meter invitational run.
“Everyone had solid races,” Clark said. “No one qualified for nationals, but we’re all scratching away at it and all had good performances. I think everyone took something away from [the meet] for the next race.”
Looking forward to the rest of the season, Roe said the team’s goal is two-fold.
“Annually, our goal is to place in the top three in the Horizon League Championship,” Roe said. “But we also want to qualify as many people as possible for the National Championships, which is a difficult thing to do and something not many teams in our conference have the chance to do.”
Butler will be back in action this weekend in the Friday Night Special, hosted by Eastern Illinois. This will be the final meet for the Bulldogs before the Horizon League Indoor Championships.
