BRENDAN KING | STAFF REPORTER

The Butler track and field team will go opposite directions this coming week as it travels to Stanford University and Miami University of Ohio to compete in its next meets.

The women’s team is coming off a seventh-place finish in the 16-team field at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational at the University of Cincinnati. Senior Nicole Hudec is coming off back-to-back victories in her events, winning the triple jump with a finish of 11.36 meters. She picked up a win in the long jump at the Bulldog Opener, as well.

Butler’s top finish as a whole came in the women’s 1,500-meter race as three Bulldog runners placed in the top six finishers. Sophomore Colleen Weatherford finished in first place, while freshman Jackie Dubnicka and sophomore Kristen Seiler finished in second and sixth places, respectively.

Stanford and Miami will be Butler’s third meet of the outdoor season. So far, the Bulldogs have improved at each meet by picking up faster times and more top finishes. Hudec and fellow senior Mara Olson have used their leadership skills, leading by example on the track this year.

Both of them are leading a relatively young Butler team composed of 13 underclassmen on the women’s roster.

Butler will only travel to compete in one Big East Conference-hosted meet this season. That will be at the Big East Outdoor Championship at Villanova University.

Olson said earlier in the year that competing in the Big East has given the team more opportunities to test themselves against larger schools and meets.

“It has been an extreme advantage to race in this conference because it allows us to face nationally competitive teams and be pushed to race our best,” Olson said. “That kind of pressure tends to produce fast times.”

The Bulldogs will be in action April 3 and 4 at Stanford and Miami of Ohio.