Butler University Athletics

Jesse Hamlin ButlerTF - 2025 BIG EAST Championships - May 16-18

Four Bulldog Men Qualify for the NCAA East First Round

5/22/2025 3:00:00 PM | By: Ethan Polak

The Butler track and field team had four Bulldog men qualify for this year's NCAA Outdoor East Championships First Round. The four-day event will be hosted by the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. from May 28-31.

The top 48 declared student-athletes were accepted into the first round competitions for each individual event.

Jesse Hamlin is back for more in the men's 5,000 meters after earning NCAA Outdoor All-American honors last season. The graduate student placed third in the 5K last weekend at the BIG EAST Championships with a mark of 13:46.59. He will look to carry this success into the semifinals next Friday at 8:10pm ET.

Matthew Forrester posted the eighth best mark in the 5K this season at 13:30.40. The South African native earned the silver medal in the 10K at the conference championships last Thursday, but his mark was not enough to qualify in both events. He will plan to toe the line with Hamlin at the same time on Friday.

After claiming the NCAA Great Lakes Region Cross Country individual title in the fall, William Zegarski added to his accolades on the track by winning the BIG EAST title in the 10,000 meters. His time of 28:46.14 last weekend was the second fastest in conference championship history. Zegarski will look to carry the momentum into the 10K this weekend on Wednesday in the semifinals at 9:10pm ET.

Jack McMahon rounds out the Bulldog qualifiers in the 10K at NCAA East First Round. McMahon ran the fifth-fastest mark in program history at 28:36.07 earlier this season at the Raleigh Relays, which also ranked the second best in the BIG EAST. He is also set to compete on Wednesday night with Zegarski.

Bulldog fans can tune into the events on next Wednesday and Friday nights on the ESPN+ live stream or follow along with the live results. Both links are listed on the Butler track and field schedule page.

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