Men's Results  |  Women's Results

Butler's men defended their BIG EAST title by capturing the 2021 cross country championship Friday morning. The Bulldogs hosted the event on the Northview Church Course in Carmel, Ind.
 
Butler's women had a strong showing, posting a second-place finish.
 
Butler's men took three of the top five spots, highlighted by individual champion Simon Bedard. Bedard, who was third in the most recent BIG EAST Championships in the fall, finished the 8k course in a time of 23:58.6. He held off spring champion Haftu Strintzos of Villanova over the closing stretch (23:59.0).
 
Butler's Barry Keane was third (24:03.2), while Clark Otte finished fifth in a time of 24:22.7.
 
Butler's score of 35 bested second-place Georgetown (49) and Villanova (63).
 
Also scoring for the Bulldogs were Jack McMahon (ninth; 24:35.2) and Will Minnette (17th; 24:57.1). Butler's scoring five along with Evan Byrne, who was 18^th in a time of 24:58.2, all earned All-BIG EAST honors.
 
For the second consecutive BIG EAST Championship, Butler had four runners among the Top 10.
 
"Obviously, winning was one of the goals today, but the main goal for me was to see our men run like they were capable of doing," said Butler coach Matt Roe, who along with his staff, were named BIG EAST Men's Coaching Staff of the Year. "With the way we have been training the last few weeks, it was great to run to our potential and be rewarded for that."
 
The Butler line-up also included Ryan Adkins (26^th; 25:31.3), Nate Lantz (28^th; 25:44.3), Pierre-Louis Detourbe (30^th; 25:52.1), and James Sweeney (31^st; 25:54.7).
 
On the women's side, Angelina Ellis paced the Bulldogs to a second-place team finish. Ellis finished third individually, completing the 6k course in 20:53.8.
 
Georgetown narrowly repeated as conference champions, clipping Butler and UConn. The teams were separated by only five points with the Hoyas at 65, followed by Butler (67) and UConn (70). Providence, which is ranked 14^th nationally this week, finished fifth, showcasing the depth of the conference.
 
"I felt really good about the way we competed, but it's exciting that we are capable of more," said Roe. "Our women have been solid the whole year and I think they are excited about what is to come. With every two-week training cycle, we get better. We had a great result today, but we're excited about the next two weeks and what is to come."
 
The Hoyas' Maggie Donahue won the individual title in a time of 20:47.8. She overtook Villanova's Lydia Olivere in the closing stretch.
 
In addition to Ellis's performance, the Bulldogs leaned on their depth. Maddie McLain and Mia Beckham finished 11^th and 12^th, respectively (21:11.9 and 21:12.2). Kami Hankins joined her three teammates in earning All-BIG EAST honors with a 19^th-place finish (21:38.7).
 
Emily Royston was Butler's fifth scorer, finishing the course in a time of 21:48.6 for 22^nd.
 
Butler's line-up also included Katherine Olsen (29^th; 22:17.9), Ashlyn Minton (30^th; 22:19.1), Quinn Shanahan (37^th; 22:39.3), and Margo Hornocker (39^th; 22:44.7).
 
The Northview Church Course served as the championship venue for the third time.
 
A portion of the Bulldogs' roster will compete Friday, Nov. 5, while the team prepares for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, which will be run Nov. 12.