William Zegarski punched his ticket to Eugene, Ore., in the men's 10,000 meters on Wednesday night at the NCAA East First Round.
 
Zegarski powered through a competitive race to finish sixth with a time of 28:52.50. Zegarski's top-12 finish earned him a spot to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in two weeks.  
 
Butler extends their streak to six consecutive years of having representation at the NCAA finals in the 10K.
 
Louisville's Elsingi Kipruto won the event with a time of 28:30.21.
 
Zegarski was among four Bulldogs in the 48-runner field Wednesday night in Lexington, Ky.

Matthew Forrester ran a time of 29:33.45 to take 21st place. Forrester ran a quick 1:07.29 final lap to climb into 21st. 
 
Eli Fullerton was ranked 40th in the East region coming into the race, but put on a strong performance with a time of 29:51.75 to earn 27th. 
 
Brendan Thomas rounded out the Dawgs with a time of 30:04.96 and finished 32nd after ranking 39th going into the race. 
 
Up Next
Zegarski will have a week to prepare before heading to Eugene, Ore., to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. His 10K national championship race, which will include 24 athletes, will take place on the opening night of the championships, Wednesday, June 10.