Butler will have two athletes representing their home countries at Sunday's SPAR European Cross Country Championships.

Barry Keane will run for Ireland, while David Slapak will toe the line on behalf of the Czech Republic.

La Mandria Park, on the outskirts of Turin, Italy, hosts the 28th edition of the European Championships. More than 500 athletes from 40 countries will take part in the championships.

Keane is one of six Irish athletes who will be part of the 10k Senior Men's Race. Sunday's race in Europe will begin at 6:10 a.m. Eastern. Earlier in the morning, Slapak will open the event in the 6k U20 Men's Race. That start will be 2:35 a.m. Eastern.
 
"One of our goals as a program is to have our athletes represent their country in elite level competitions," said Butler coach Matt Roe. "We have been fortunate to have representation from several countries including the United States in recent years. There is no higher honor than running for your country."
 
Butler is well represented at the European Cross Country Championships for the second consecutive year. Edouard Morin-Luzuy finished eighth in the men's race and Laure Bertrand was 12^th on the women's side at the 2021 European U20 Cross Country Championships in Dublin, Ireland. Both represented their home country of France.
 
Keane will conclude a spectacular cross country season that saw him selected as the Regional Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Keane, who hails from Waterford, Ireland, captured the individual title at the Great Lakes Regional Championships in 29:38.1. Eight days later, Keane finished 17th at the 2022 NCAA DI Cross Country Championships in 29:18.0. Earlier in the season, Keane took top individual honors at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships and finished second at the NCAA DI Pre-National/Weis-Crockett Invitational, among other accomplishments.
 
"We are thrilled to see Barry earn his first senior vest for Ireland," said Roe. "He has represented his country with distinction in the past. I know he will put his best foot forward on Sunday."
 
Keane has represented his country multiple times at the U23 European Championships.
 
Slapak redshirted the 2022 cross country season. He most recently represented the Czech Republic in August, finishing 11^th in the 3,000 meters the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Columbia.
 
"David is one of a small handful of athletes to compete in the U20 Championships for the third time," said Roe. "He is just now coming into fitness so we will utilize this race to continue to build toward a big track season. At just 19, he's a veteran on the international scene and he know acutely well the honor it is to run for one's country. He will put it all out there on Sunday for the Czech Republic."