Four track and field/cross country student-athletes earned 2026 Academic All-District honors as announced by College Sports Communicators this week.
 
The 2026 Academic All-District® Men's Track & Field/Cross Country teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the track, in the field, and in the classroom.
 
The three Butler men to earn the recognition for their performances during the track and field and/or cross country seasons were William Zegarski, Eli Fullerton, Matthew Forrester, and Jesse Hamlin.
 
In cross country, a runner must have obtained a Top 50 individual performance at the 2025 NCAA regional competition. In track, an individual must have had a Top 50 regional ranking in a single event (indoor or outdoor). One of those accomplishments must be paired with the GPA requirement to be recognized with Academic All-District honors.
 
Zegarski finished fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes regional during the 2025 cross country season with a time of 29:22.0. He entered the NCAA East First Round in track with the 40th-best time in the country and 14th-best in the East region for the 10,000 meters with a time of 28:28.18. He improved on that position in earning Second-Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships after finishing in 10th place. He majors in Data Science and Statistics and currently has a 3.611 GPA. 
 
Fullerton earned his honors with his respective performances at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in cross country and his BIG EAST Outdoor Championships qualifying time. Fullerton finished 29th at the Great Lakes Regional Championship in cross country and was ranked 40th in the outdoor 10,000-meter event going into the NCAA East Region First Round with a time of 29:05.56. He graduated with an undergrad degree from Indiana Wesleyan in Sports Management with minors in Coaching and Business Administration and a graduate degree from Butler in Sports Management. He finished his academic career with a 3.917 GPA.  
 
Forrester earned recognition based on his qualifying time at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships in the 10,000-meter event. Forrester was ranked 31st going into the NCAA East Region First Round with a time of 28:55.93.  He graduated with an undergrad degree from the University of Charleston in English and a graduate degree from Butler in English. He finished his academic career with a 4.00 GPA.  
 
Hamlin earned recognition based on his cross country 10K and Indoor 3,000-meter qualifying time. Hamlin finished in second-place at the Great Lakes Regional Championship with a time of 29:43.16. Hamlin was ranked 10th going into the Indoor Championships earlier this year with a qualifying time of 7:39.70. He finished in fifth at the NCAA Championships and earned All-American honors. He obtained an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and a Masters in Science of Business Analytics from Butler University. He finished his academic career with a 3.904 GPA.