Erik Peterson leads the pack down the straightaway. Photo from butlersports.com.

KELSIE KASPER | STAFF REPORTER | kkasper@butler.edu

The Butler University track and field team walked away from the Big East Championships with several first place finishes and one of the best indoor performances for the school in a long time.

The men’s team finished the meet in third place, while the women’s team finished sixth overall.

Senior Erik Peterson once again led the Bulldogs by taking first in both the 3000 and 5000-meter runs. He accounted for 20 of the team’s 128 points, which sealed the men’s bronze placing. Also, Peterson had the honor of being named Most Outstanding Track Performer of the Meet.

This Bulldog performance was a team effort. Freshman Wade Walder won the men’s heptathlon with sophomore Richard Clark coming in third. Wadler also took second place in the 60-meter hurdles. He recorded 23 points throughout the weekend.

Redshirt sophomore Johnny Leverenz was first in the 800-meter race, posting a time of 1:49.81. In the high jump, junior Dakota Thompson and sophomore Sam Robinson tied for third with a height of two meters. Redshirt freshman Euan Makepeace recorded a season-best in the mile with a time of 4:07.81 for fourth place.

Seniors Olivia Pratt and Olivia Anderson led the women’s team to their sixth place finish.

Pratt took first place in the 5000-meter run and finished fourth in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:32.54. Anderson took third in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:10.32 and the mile with 4:45.60 on the stopwatch. Freshman Josephine Thestrup finished fifth in the mile.  

Then men finished the competition with 128 points, only seven points behind Marquette. The women finished with 44 points, just nine points behind Georgetown.

On Feb. 28, the All-Big East Indoor Track & Field Team will be released.

From here, the men and women’s teams will advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships, and eventually to the outdoor track and field season.