The Butler men's track and field team will have four student-athletes competing at the NCAA East First Round this week. Each of the Bulldogs will have a shot of punching their respective ticket to the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore.
 
Competition at the East First Round is slated for Lexington, Ky., and will be hosted by the University of Kentucky. The West First Round is set for Fayetteville, Ark., and hosted by the University of Arkansas. The First Round at both sites will run Wednesday, May 27 through Saturday, May 30.
 
Each region includes the top 48 declared student-athletes in a particular event competing for 12 qualifying spots from their respective region. Those 12 athletes will join 12 athletes from the West region in each event at the NCAA Championships, which are scheduled for June 10-13 in Eugene.
 
All four of Butler's athletes will compete in the 10,000 meters in Lexington. Butler is one of eight teams to have four runners qualify in the same event through both the East and West Regions. The only other teams with four runners in the same event are New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, BYU, Alabama, Syracuse and Georgia. 
 
ESPN+ will stream a majority of the action from Lexington, with links available on ButlerSports.com.
 
Wednesday
All four runners will compete for the Bulldogs on Wednesday night in the men's 10,000 meters. The race will feature a single heat with 48 competitors; only the top 12 finishers advance to Eugene.
 
William Zegarski will look to cap off a historic year at NCAA East First Round this week in the 10K. The Maineville, Ohio native earned his personal-best time of 28:28.18 at the Raleigh Relays to rank 14th in the East Region and 40th in the country. He continued his successful outdoor season by winning the 10K at BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. His mark helped secure Butler's seventh-straight BIG EAST title in the event.
 
Matthew Forrester will join Zegarski with the 31st-best mark in the East region. The South African product ran his personal-best for the 10K at 28:55.93 during the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships and earned the bronze. Forrester ran the 5,000 meters last year, finishing 20th nationally at the NCAA Outdoor Championships after qualifying out of the East First Round. 
 
Brendan Thomas will join the Bulldogs for his first East First Round. Thomas earned fourth place at the BIG EAST Championships last weekend with a personal-best and qualifying time of 29:05.53, which is 39th in the East Region. 
 
Eli Fullerton rounds out the Bulldog qualifiers in the 10K at the NCAA East First Round. Fullerton earned fifth place at the BIG EAST Championships last weekend with a qualifying time of 29:05.56, making him 40th in the region. 
The 10K quad is set to toe the line at 9:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday. 
 
 
Daily Schedule
 
Wednesday
10,000 meters - 9:10 p.m. ET
William Zegarski (28:46.14, 14th)
Matthew Forrester (28:55.93, 31st)
Brendan Thomas (29:05.53, 39th)
Eli Fullerton (20:05.56, 40th)
 
Thursday
No competitors
 
Friday
No competitors
 
Saturday
No competitors