The Butler men won the 2025 BIG EAST Cross Country Championship Friday morning. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 14 in the most recent USTFCCCA national poll, finished with 23 points 

The Bulldogs were joined on the podium by No. 30 Georgetown (42 points) and defending champion Villanova (62 points).

This is the fourth time in the past six seasons that Butler has won the BIG EAST men's championship. The 2025 title marks the fifth BIG EAST championship in program history, 2023, 2021, and 2020 on the men's side, and 2019 on the women's side.

Butler's 26 points are the best team finish at the BIG EAST Men's Cross Country Championship since 2014 when Villanova won with only 23 points. In its dominating performance, Butler had the top two finishers in the field, four of the first six finishers, five of the top 12, and seven of the top 16 across the line.

William Zegarski captured the individual BIG EAST championship, completing the 8k course in 23:08.41. Zegarski becomes the fourth individual champion in program history. Zegarski wins his first BIG EAST Cross Country title after previously finishing third last season and fourth at the 2023 championship. In outdoor track and field, he is also the defending BIG EAST champion in the 10,000 meters.

Teammate Matthew Forrester finished just five seconds behind, securing second place with a time of 23:11.57.

After the race, Zegarski said, "I thank God for amazing teammates, amazing coaches, and an amazing support system back home." When talking about Forrester, Zegarski shared, "He's my best friend, like a brother to me. I'm so glad he stuck with me throughout the race."

Including Zegarski and Forrester, the Dawgs placed seven runners on the All-BIG EAST team. Jesse Hamlin finished fifth with a time of 23:16.24, while Austin Gabay followed close behind in sixth at 23:16.92.

Brendan Thomas covered the course in 23:45.82, earning 12th place. Eli Fullerton finished close behind in 15th with a time of 23:53.82, while Matteo Rosio followed directly behind in 16th at 23:56.72.

The Butler Men (8k)
1) William Zegarski 23:08.41
2) Matthew Forrester 23:11.57
5) Jesse Hamlin 23:16.24
6) Austin Gabay 23:16.92
12) Brendan Thomas 23:45.82
15) Eli Fullerton 23:53.20
16) Matteo Rosio 23:56.72
26) David Slapak 24:23.18
27) Kyle Grove 24:24.24

The Men's Team Scores
1) No. 14 Butler 26
2) No. 30 Georgetown 42
3) Villanova 62
4) Providence 110
5) DePaul 163
6) Creighton 191
7) Xavier 209
8) Marquette 218
9) Seton Hall

Women's Race
On the women's side for the Dawgs, they finished in sixth. No. 10 Georgetown won the event with 24 points.

Kylie Cline led the way for the Dawgs as she covered the 6k course in 21:22.89. Cline finished 32nd. Georgetown's Melissa Riggins won the race with a time of 19:47.64. Butler was without Hannah Moore, who did not run in the championship due to an injury she sustained over the past few days.

The Butler Women (6k)
32) Kylie Cline 21:22.89
43) Camille El Baghlouli 21:38.26
49) Mckenna Mazeski 21:46.68
57) Elsa Rusthoven 22:14.45
62) Lila Volkers 22:21.41
66) Carys Glyn-Jones 22:27.19

The Women's Team Scores
1)  No. 10 Georgetown 24
2)  No. 14 Villanova 42
3)  Providence 61
4)  UConn 104
5)  Xavier 154
6)  Butler 207
7)  Creighton 209
8)  DePaul 215
9)  Seton Hall 267
10) Marquette 270
11) St. John's 340

Best Coaching Staff in the BIG EAST
Following the races, the Butler coaching staff earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, marking the 13th time under head coach Matt Roe that his staff has received the award. 

Up Next: The NCAA Great Lakes Regional will be contested in Evansville, Ind., on Friday, Nov. 14