The Butler men's cross country team is back in action as they begin an abbreviated season in Nashville, Tenn. at Lipscomb University this Saturday, Feb. 6.
 
The Bulldogs will face strong competition at the Lipscomb Winter Classic. The Bradley University men, who have won five consecutive MVC Championships, will join fellow MVC competitor Loyola in Nashville this weekend. The other competitors this weekend will be teams from Belmont, Bellarmine, and North Alabama.
 
Last season, the Bulldog men finished third in the BIG EAST and had several impressive performances along the way. This year, several key contributors return, and new additions are looking to help Butler make a run at a BIG EAST title.
 
Roe on the 2021 Men's Team
"Of the 12 men we are competing this weekend, seven are making their Butler debuts. All seven are fit and have strong cross country pedigrees." said head coach Matt Roe. "We have three more men racing from last year's squad, all of whom earned All-BIG EAST honors, with one gaining a bid to the NCAA Championships. For our final two runners competing, one athlete is a two-time All-BIG EAST cross country runner and a Big East champion on the track, and the other is vastly improved and poised to have a major impact. This is a new-look team that has both depth and talent. Our group is training well, and there is a great energy within the ranks. I couldn't be more excited about the guys we have and the work they are doing right now."
 
Bulldog Veterans
The biggest name returning for the Bulldogs is graduate student Simon Bedard. Bedard had a fantastic 2019 season, finishing 112th at the 2019 NCAA Championships with a time of 32:04.8. This was the exclamation point on a season in which he earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors after finishing 22nd at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in a time of 30:52.3. He also finished seventh overall at the BIG EAST Championships to earn all-conference first-team honors.

Bedard most recently ran a blazing time of 28.16.06 in the 10,000-meter at the "Track Meet" in California. Bedard's time is the second fastest outdoor 10,000-meter all-time by a Bulldog behind Erik Peterson (28:11.02) in 2017.  Peterson was the fastest American Collegian that same year. With this time, Bedard is now the 26th fastest man at 10,000 meters on France's all-time list. He also qualified and ran in the French National Championships in Albi, France, where Bedard finished seventh in the 10,000-meter with a time of 28:58:34 and sixth-place in the 5,000-meter with a finish of 14:00.54. He is making his season debut on Saturday.
 
After redshirting the 2019 season, returning to the course will be 2018 All-BIG EAST First Team honoree Barry Keane. Over the winter months, he clocked a blazing 13:41 personal-best in the ,5000-meters. In 2018, Keane Finished 42nd at the NCAA Division I Great Lakes Region Cross Country Championships with a time of 32.01.9 and placed sixth at the BIG EAST Championships with a time of 24:42.0.

Senior Clark Otte is coming off a season in which he claimed All-BIG EAST First Team honors. Otte finished ninth with a time of 25:58.1 at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships. He also qualified for the Great Lakes Regional, where he ran a 31:38, taking 50th overall.
 
Last season Jackson Martin ran a career-best 10K at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, finishing 35th overall with a time of 31:16.2. He also scored and earned All-BIG EAST second team by placing 17th at the BIG EAST Championships (26:27.7). This will be Martin's third season running for Butler and is set to make an impact.
 
Other impact returns for Butler include senior Blake Roberts and redshirt sophomore James Sweeney. Each ran at the 2019 BIG EAST Championships, finishing 44th (27:33.8) and 68th (28:32.2), respectively. Sweeney set a new personal record in the 8k of the Butler Race series in the fall with a time of 24:41; he will make his season debut Saturday.
 
Other names returning for Butler include juniors Trey Harris, Nick Robie, Andrew Taylor, and redshirt junior Chandler McGaha. All of whom are ready to make an impact for the Bulldogs.
 
Fresh Faces
Five transfers will be joining the Bulldog men, all bringing impressive skills and experiences along with them.
 
Evan Byrne, a graduate student from University Cork College in Ireland, was the 2019 Irish National U23 5k Champion. In addition to this individual championship, Byrne was a member of the 2018 Irish National Novice Cross Country Championship Team (Togher AC).
 
Pierre-Louis Detourbe has also joined the Butler squad after a successful career at California Baptist. While at CBU, Detourbe placed fourth at the 2017 PacWest Cross Country Championships while helping CBU win their seventh-straight PacWest Cross Country Championship. Detourbe earned All-PacWest first-team honors for his performance that season. Detourbe will be running for the first time as a Bulldog this weekend.
 
Also making his Butler debut this weekend is multiple-time NCAA Great Lakes Regional competitor Conor Naughton. Naughton joins Butler after transferring from Central Michigan University. During the 2019 cross country season, Naughton finished 43rd (8K, 25:56.9) in the Pre-National Invitational, finished 26th (8K, 26.22.4) in the Mid-American Conference Championships, and placed 69th (10K, 32:06.7) at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. Naughton has also earned Academic All-MAC honors on multiple occasions.
 
2019 Ohio Valley Medal of Honor recipient Remi Schyns has transferred to Butler after two seasons at Eastern Kentucky. Schyns has had an impressive cross country both during his time at EKU and prior, earning 2nd Team All-OVC Cross Country in 2018 and winning the 2017 U20 Belgian National Cross Country Championships and the 2016 U18 Belgian National Cross Country Championships. Schyns's first appearance for Butler will be in Nashville on Saturday.
 
After spending his freshman campaign at Davidson College, Jack McMahon is looking to make an impact for the Bulldogs starting on Saturday. McMahon had a decorated high school where he was named 2018 Rhode Island Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year and led Bishop Hendricken to a fourth-place team finish at the Nike National Cross Country Championships in 2018, placing 45th overall. During the same 2018 season, McMahon was the Rhode Island State runner-up in Cross Country while leading his team to the state title.
 
Redshirt Debuts
Four redshirt freshmen will make their Butler cross country debut after sitting out the 2019 season.
 
Ryan Adkins will look to continue the success from an impressive high school career to the collegiate level, starting with his collegiate debut on Saturday. Adkins is a three-time state qualifier and qualified for the Nike National Championships, where he finished 36th.
 
Jesse Hamlin is a former Indiana All-State selection who captured the semistate championship, along with conference and sectional titles. Hamlin will run for the first time with Butler on Saturday.
 
Bloomington, Ill. native Nick Doud is another Bulldog looking to build off high school success. Doud finished fifth in Class 2A State Cross Country Championships and was named the program's Athlete of the Year while being an essential part of its highest finish in school history.
 
Former California all-state honoree Nate Lantz will make his Butler debut this season as well. Lantz earned All-CIF honors twice in his high school career while helping his team win both the Bay League and CIF Championships in 2018.
 
True Freshman, True Impact
Six true freshmen will be competing for the Bulldogs, Liam Dennis, Maz Lauerman, Will Minnette, Sean Robertson, Cater Schorr, and Jack Wilson, all of whom are coming off decorated high school careers.
 
Dennis was named 4x All-Conference and All-District, 3x All-Region and All-Ohio, and was a 2x Conference and District Individual Champion.
 
Lauerman's impressive high school career included honors such as 2x All-State Cross Country, 3x All-Conference Honors, and 2x All-Section Honors. Lauerman was named All-Region Third Team and took 15th at the 2019 Nike Heartland Regional Cross Country Championships, and placed 19th at the Minnesota Cross Country Championships the same year.
 
2019 was a big season for newcomer Minnette, as he was a 2019 Cross Country Regional Champion, 2019 All-State selection, and a 2019 Conference runner-up. Minnette was also a part of two team conference championships, with one in 2016 and the other in 2019.
 
All-CIF and All-League selections were just a part of Robertson's high school career. Robertson owns two impressive Capistrano Valley school records in the 3-mile (14:30) and 5k (15:33). He will make his college debut on Saturday in Nashville.
 
Schorr won the 2,000-meter steeplechase at the 2019 USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships and was named All-State as part of the 4x800 relay team. In cross country, Schorr was an All-Sectional cross country selection and earned All-Conference honors.
 
Wilson is a 2x Top-30 finisher at Footlocker Midwest Regional (2017-2018) and holds individual class records in the 5k. He was a 3x All-State Cross Country selection and helped Romeo High School to three county and conference titles. Wilson was a part of two top-10 team finishes at the Michigan State Cross Country Championships.
 
A Look Ahead
The Butler Invite on Feb. 19 will be the second and final meet before the BIG EAST Championships in Cary, N.C on March 5.