Sophomore Elsa Rusthoven races during the 2023 Gladstein Invitational. Photo by Claire Runkel.
CYBIL STILLSON | SPORTS REPORTER | cstillson@butler.edu
Friday, Feb. 3
Men’s and women’s track and field at Meyo Invitational
The men’s and women’s track and field teams ran in the preliminary qualifying rounds to get set for the second and final day of the Meyo Invitational.
Saturday, Feb. 4
Men’s tennis vs. Cleveland State and Findlay
The men’s tennis team defeated Findlay but came up short to Cleveland State during their doubleheader match. In their match against Cleveland State, the Vikings defeated the Bulldogs 4-3. Butler won two of the six singles matches with senior Thomas Brennan and sophomore Patrick Joss each defeating their opponents in straight sets.
Butler found more success during their afternoon match against Findlay claiming the win 4-0. Butler’s Borja Miralles, Michael Karr, and Rahulniket Konakanchi all won their singles matches, while Patrick Joss and Aidan William each led their matches despite being able to finish. The Bulldogs move their record to 5-4 on the season and will head to Ball State on Feb. 10 to take on the Cardinals in their next match.
Men’s track and field at Meyo Invitational
The men’s track and field team had a successful weekend at Notre Dame. Two Bulldogs set new personal best times in their respective races. Graduate student Luke Finnegan set a new personal best in the 200 meters while claiming first place with a time of 21.50. Junior Will Minnette clinched a second-place finish in the 5,000 meters with his new personal best time of 14:10.14. Three other top finishes for the men included Edouard Morin-Luzuy who placed ninth out of 49 runners in the 5,000 meters, as well as Jesse Hamlin and David Slapak who finished ninth and tenth in the Meyo mile. The Bulldogs will split up for the next event with runners traveling to either the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee, or the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Massachusetts on Feb. 10-11.
Women’s track and field at Meyo Invitational
The women’s track and field team had several finishers placed among the top three in the Meyo Invitational. Graduate student Angelina Ellis broke the school record and placed third in the Meyo mile with a time of 4:37:06. Junior Abby Olson crossed the finish line first in the 5,000 meters race after running a lifetime personal best of 16:53.81. Other top finishes included Katherine Olsen placing sixth in the Meyo mile, Morgan Walsh running the second fastest 600 meters in school history and Mia Beckham placing ninth in the 3,000 meters. The Bulldogs will split up for the next event with runners traveling to either the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee, or the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston, Massachusetts, on Feb. 10-11.
Men’s basketball vs. No. 14 Marquette
The Bulldogs put up a good fight against the No. 1 ranked team in the Big East but ultimately came up short to the Golden Eagles 60-52. Sophomore Jayden Taylor led the team with 19 points while teammate and fellow sophomore Simas Lukosius added 15. Butler’s defense held Marquette to only 60 points — their second-lowest scoring total of the season. On the other end of the court, however, the Golden Eagles outscored Butler 22-9 off of forced turnovers which helped them secure the win. Butler moves to 11-13 overall and 3-10 in Big East play.
Women’s basketball vs. No. 19 Villanova
Butler fell to No. 19 Villanova 78-58 in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Maddy Siegrist, the current leading scorer in the nation, paced the Wildcats with 31 points. Villanova’s defense held Butler to 37% shooting while the Wildcats shot 53% from the floor. Sophomore Sydney Jaynes led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while graduate students Shay Frederick and Rachel McLimore and first-year Jordan Meulemans each contributed eight. Jaynes also led the team with six total rebounds. Butler will travel to Chicago on Feb. 8 for their next matchup against DePaul.
Sunday, Feb. 5
Women’s tennis vs. Cleveland State
The women’s tennis team defeated Cleveland State in a close match 4-3. The Vikings started off strong by taking the doubles point, but the Bulldogs battled back to claim four of the six singles matches. Katie Beavin secured the first point for Butler in the No. 5 spot in straight sets. Natalie Boesing, Delaney Schurhamer and Chase Metcalf each defeated their opponents in three close sets to ultimately clinch the win for the Bulldogs. With this win, Butler improved their record to 2-3. The Bulldogs will host UIndy on Feb. 16 at 5 p.m. in the Butler Bubble for their next match.
Monday, Feb. 6
Men’s golf at Big East Match Play
The men’s golf team kicked off their spring season with day one of the Big East Match Play at Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. In their morning quarterfinals match, UConn earned the win over Butler 6-0-1. The Bulldogs did, however, find success during their afternoon matchup against St. John’s. Derek Tabor, Raymond Sullivan, Connor McNeely and Daniel Tanaka each won their matches while Henry Quinn tied his opponent, securing the 4-2-1 win for the Bulldogs heading into the final match.
Tuesday, Feb. 7
Men’s basketball vs. St. John’s
The Bulldogs ended their five-game losing streak with a 68-66 thrilling comeback win over the Red Storm. Sophomore Jayden Taylor led all scorers with 19 points. Graduate Manny Bates added 15 points and six rebounds. Senior Jalen Thomas had 10 points in only 10 minutes of play off the bench. The Bulldogs were spreading the ball around as they had 19 assists on 23 made field goals. Butler moved to 12-13 and 4-10 in conference play.
Men’s golf at Big East Match Play
The men’s golf team completed Big East Match Play with a 4.5-2.5 win over DePaul. Tabor, Sullivan, McNeely and Tanaka all won their matches. Damon Dickey split his match. The Bulldogs will next travel to Palm City, Florida for the UNC Greensboro Collegiate starting on Feb. 12.
