The Bulldogs head south this weekend to compete in the NCAA Pre-Nationals Invitational, hosted by the University of Louisville. The meet serves as a precursor to the NCAA Championships, which will also take place at the E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park next month.
Saturday's meet features several powerhouse teams who finished among the elite at the 2016 NCAA Championships. The men's field features 51 teams including No. 19 Georgetown, No. 24 Ole Miss, and No. 27 Utah. The women's field features 54 teams including No. 4 Michigan, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 19 Utah State, No. 25 Georgia, and No. 29 Mississippi State.
"Our top men are training through this week in preparation for the BIG EAST Championships and Great Lakes Regional," said Butler coach
Matt Roe. "The Pre National meet will be a great opportunity for our men challenging for varsity and BIG EAST positions to earn further chances to compete and contribute."
Butler will be represented in both the men's and women's unseeded races.
Butler's men's squad for this weekend includes
Jonathan Collier,
Clark Otte,
Eric Baugh,
Jackson Martin,
Malik Mahmud, and
Blake Roberts. They will navigate an 8k course beginning at 11:30 a.m.
The women running for the Bulldogs on Saturday are Josephine Threstup,
Angelina Ellis,
Camille Hines,
Hannah Hartzell,
Kristen Johnson, and
Allison Miller. They will run a 6k course beginning at 12:15 p.m.
"Our women are continuing to grow and improve in training. I am excited to see another positive step forward this weekend," Roe said.
Sophomore Josephine Threstup looks to continue her success at Louisville this weekend. Threstup has placed in the top 20 in all three of her races this season, including a first-place finish at the season-opening Butler Twilight. At the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, she led the Bulldogs, placing eighth in the gold race with a time of 17:31.8.
The Pre-National Invitational will be streamed live on
FloTrack.org, powered by FloSports.
Meet Information page:
http://www.gocards.com/sports/2017/7/17/2017-cross-country-meet-central.aspx?id=1613
