Both men's and women's teams are set to compete in the BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep on Friday. The championship will take place at Mahoney State Park in Ashland, Nebraska. The men's 8K race is scheduled to begin at noon ET, followed by the women's 6K race at 12:50 p.m. ET. Both races will be followed by an awards presentation at 1:40 p.m. The event will be streamed live on ESPN,  and live results will be available here. Course information can be found here.

Men's Preview 
No. 14 Butler has had a strong season thus far. The Bulldogs won the Mike Baumer XC Classic and finished seventh and eighth, respectively, in highly competitive fields at the Gans Creek Classic and the Nuttycombe Invitational.

After winning the 5K at the Mike Baumer XC Classic, Brendan Thomas was named BIG EAST Athlete of the Week. After placing 14th in the 8K at the Nuttycombe Invitational, William Zegarski was named co-BIG EAST Athlete of the Week. Both Zegarski and Thomas will look to continue their strong seasons for the Bulldogs at the BIG EAST championship.

Georgetown, ranked 30th, is the only other ranked team in this year's field. Last year at the event, the Bulldogs finished second, with Villanova claiming the title.

Women's Preview
The Bulldogs finished second at both the Mike Baumer XC Classic and the Rumble in the Fort meet. On Oct. 4, Butler placed 13th in the Louisville Classic, led by Hannah Moore, who finished 33rd. Moore will look to carry her positive momentum into the championship.

Georgetown, the defending champion, is ranked 10th, while Villanova, which placed fourth a season ago, is ranked 14th. Butler finished fifth i 2024.

Butler's History at the BIG EAST Championship
Combining both programs, the Bulldogs have won the BIG EAST Championship four times. On the men's side, Butler has won three of the last six BE championships, taking the title in 2020, 2021 and 2023.

On the women's side, the program won the BIG EAST championship in 2019.

Up Next
The Great Lakes Regional Championship is set for Nov. 14.