The 15th-ranked Butler Bulldogs finished seventh in a field that included 17 nationally-ranked teams. The meet took place Friday morning at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course near the University of Missouri campus, the site of the 2025 National Championship.

The strong seventh-place finish put the Bulldogs ahead of 11 nationally-ranked teams, including No. 7 Stanford, No. 9 Wake Forest, and No. 14 Northern Arizona. No. 14 NAU has captured six national championships in the past 10 seasons. 

Leading the way for Butler in the Gold 8k race were William Zegarski and Matthew Forrester. Zegarski finished 14th with a time of 22:59.9, while Forrester followed close behind finishing 23rd with a time of 23:03.8.

Austin Gabay, Jesse Hamlin and David Slapak each had solid top-100 finishes. Gabay placed 46th with a time of 23:21.1, Hamlin was 63rd at 23:30.4 and Slapak finished just behind them at 23:44.9.

"It was a strong start for our men. You will not find a higher-pressure environment, and that was exactly what we were seeking today," said head coach Matt Roe. "It was a total team effort from the top race to our developing group. Everyone did their job. We are excited to get back to work."

Washington State's Solomon Kipchoge won the race in a time of 22:24.7. Iowa State, with four of the top 11 finishers, won the team title with 46 points. Iowa State is ranked No. 1 in the current USTFCCCA national coaches poll. No. 6 Virginia (107), No. 13 Colorado (126), No. 11 Alabama (193) No. 4 BYU (199), and No. 12 Syracuse (229) rounded out the six teams ahead of Butler, which entered the race ranked No. 15 nationally. 

Butler also saw positive results in the Black 8k race. Kyle Grove and Asher Propst finished 22nd and 24th, respectively. Grove crossed the line in 24:07.2, with Propst a second behind at 24:08.6.

Butler Men's Gold Race Results (8k)
14. William Zegarski 22:59.9
23. Matthew Forrester 23:03.8
46. Austin Gabay 23:21.1
63. Jesse Hamlin 23:30.4
92. David Slapak 23:44.9
121. Sean Byrnes 23:59.8
122. Eli Fullerton 23:59.8
156. Brendan Thomas 24:12.9

Butler Men's Black Race Results (8k)
22. Kyle Grove 24:07.2
24. Asher Propst 24:08.6
36. Matteo Rosio 24:17.1
53. Charlie Jones 24:26.0

Up Next
The Dawgs will be back in action Oct. 17, competing in the Nuttycombe Invitational hosted by Wisconsin.