Following several of the most successful seasons in Butler cross country and track and field program history, assistant coaches Robby Burns and Keigan Culler have been promoted into larger roles on the coaching staff. Head coach Matt Roe made the announcement Thursday, Aug. 25.

"After an exhaustive national search with several strong candidates, we felt confident in the promotion of Robby Burns and Keigan Culler. Their contribution to the program over the last several years has been invaluable to the success of our student-athletes," stated Roe.

Burns moves into the top assistant spot on the staff. He is responsible for the training and recruitment of Butler's student-athletes in the sprints, hurdles, relays, vertical and horizontal jumps, as well as the multi-event decathletes and heptathletes.

Burns' work with student-athletes is displayed throughout the track and field program's record book. Athletes he has worked with hold all Butler indoor records in distances through 400 meters. In total, Burns has coached 20 individual BIG EAST Champions and 34 Butler school record holders. In outdoor track and field, the men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400 relay school records have all been set within the last 24 months.

Nicole Hudec was named Outstanding Field Event Athlete at the 2014 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships, while Wade Walder was named Outstanding Field Performer and High Point Performer at the 2018 BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. Walder would go on to earn second team All-American honors, finishing 15^th at the NCAA Championship in the decathlon. Rebecca Coan, after winning the 2022 BIG EAST title in the heptathlon, qualified for the NCAA Regional in the high jump. Additionally, Burns coached Allie Vogeler to three consecutive BIG EAST titles in the 400 hurdles, while finishing as a national quarterfinalist in the event in 2017.

"Coach Burns has been pivotal to the growth of our track and field program over the last eight years," said Roe. "We are fortunate that he will be entering an expanded role within our staff, which will enhance his ability to continue to further develop BIG EAST Champions and NCAA Qualifiers." 

Culler has been a member of the Butler coaching staff since 2017, taking larger roles each season with the distance program.

As a member of the coaching staff, he has helped the Bulldogs to three BIG EAST Cross Country titles: the women in 2019 and the Butler in men in both the spring and fall of 2021. Euan Makepeace captured the 2019 BIG EAST Men's Cross Country individual title while Simon Bedard accomplished the feat in 2021.

On the track, the program's recent success has been highlighted by Barry Keane, who finished ninth nationally in the 10k at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and finished 11^th nationally in the 5k at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

"Coach Culler has been instrumental in our success as a program at the conference, regional, and national levels. He has displayed a tireless work ethic and is highly skilled as both a recruiter and coach. He has shown a strong aptitude to find, mold, and develop talent within our recruiting and training philosophy," said Roe.

As a Butler student-athlete, Culler represented the Bulldogs three times at the BIG EAST Cross Country Championships.