Butler will send five athletes to Jacksonville, Fla., to compete in the NCAA Division I East Preliminary. Competition begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. The top 12 performers in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas.
 
"We have a competitive group headed to Jacksonville," said Butler coach Matt Roe. "This is a team that is confident, capable, focused, and ready to compete."
The University of North Florida serves as the host site and institution for the preliminary.
 
Track and field fans can watch live and on-demand coverage of the NCAA Division I East and/or West Preliminary Championships on FloTrack with a Pro subscription. Coverage of the preliminary competitions will be available throughout the meet. To access the East Preliminary coverage, visit here.
 
Live results please found here.  For additional information about the meet, visit here.
 
Euan Makepeace will compete in the 5,000 meters Saturday night. Makepeace also qualified in the 1,500 meters, but has scratched from the event to focus on the 5k. Makepeace posted a time of 13:54.62 in the 5k at the Mt. SAC Relays April 18. That was the 15^th-best time in the East Region this season and is 12th among athletes who will run in Jacksonville.  The best time in the region belongs to Gilbert Kigen of Alabama at 13:34.95.  Makepeace won the BIG EAST title in the 5k two weeks ago, crossing the line in 14:15.21.
 
At the 2017 East Preliminary, Makepeace finished fifth with a time of 15:04.42 and advanced to the championship, where he finished 24^th nationally.
 
Barry Keane also qualified for the Regional in two events. Keane will run in the 10,000 meters Thursday night behind a time of 29:12.14 at the Raleigh Relays March 29. That is the 19^th-best time in the Region. Kigen of Alabama also has the fastest time in the region in this event at 28:20.28.  Keane scratched from the 5,000 meters. Keane is the BIG EAST champion in the 10k after his performance in New York.
 
Johnny Leverenz will run the 1,500 meters at the Regional, with the first round scheduled for Thursday. His time of 3:45.05 at the Raleigh Relays in late March was 37^th in the East Region. Ten athletes scratched ahead of him (including Makepeace), meaning he enters as the 27th-ranked athlete. Yared Nuguse of Notre Dame has the fastest time in the Region at 3:38.32.  A year ago in the East Preliminaries, Leverenz finished 15th as he ran a time of 3:51.18.
 
The 1,500 meters on Thursday features four heats. The top five from each heat in addition to the next four top times will advance to the quarterfinals. The top five from each of the two quarterfinal heats in addition to the next two best times will advance to Austin.
 
Clark Otte will round out the men's side as he represents Butler in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. At the Louisville-hosted Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood Invitational on April 26, Otte ran a time of 8:58.99, which proved to be No. 41 on the East Region performance list and the 39^th-fastest time of those competing next week. The fastest time in the East Region belongs to Daniel Michalski of Indiana at 8:34.26. The steeplechase is scheduled for Friday night.
 
Three-time BIG EAST champion Allie Vogeler will run the 400-meter hurdles in Jacksonville. Her best time of the season came April 17 at the Bryan Clay Invitational when she finished in 58.87. That time is 24^th among the field entering competition.  The fastest time in the field belongs to LSU's Jurnee Woodward at 56.77. At last year's NCAA East Preliminary, Vogeler ran a Butler record time of 58.01. 

Thursday's 400-meter hurdles competition includes six heats. The top three performances from each heat plus the next six times will advance to the quarterfinals. From there, the top three from each quarterfinal plus the next three times will make up the 12 competitors advancing to Austin.

California State University, Sacramento will host the West Preliminary. Twelve competitors from each individual event and twelve teams from each relay event advance from each Preliminary Round site, comprising the 24-athlete fields at the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 5-8 in Austin, Texas. Butler's Wade Walder is among the 24 athletes who will compete in the decathlon in Austin. The preliminary rounds do not include the decathlon or heptathlon; those athletes go directly to the NCAA Championships.  
 
Bulldogs Event Schedule
 
Thursday
4:30 PM - Women's 400m Hurdles First Round- Allie Vogeler
6:00 PM - Men's 1,500m First Round - Johnny Leverenz
9:40 PM - Men's 10,000m Semifinal - Barry Keane
 
Friday
9:00 PM - Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Quarterfinal - Clark Otte
 
Saturday
8:45 PM - Men's 5,000m Semifinal - Euan Makepeace