Butler Runners Head To Elite Distance Meet

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- Butler’s talented corps of distance runners will face their stiffest test yet when they compete in the prominent Flotrack Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12.  Butler head coach Matt Roe will take six of his top runners to the elite competition.

Two of Butler’s top distance runners will compete on Friday evening.  Katie Clark, currently ranked 24th nationally in the mile and 40th in the 3000, will make her debut in the indoor 5000.  Clark was the Horizon League women’s indoor 3000 meter champ a year ago.  Also running on Friday night will be Justin Roeder, who will compete in the men’s 5000.  Roeder, who placed fourth in the 5000 at last year’s Horizon League Indoor Championship, currently is ranked 29th nationally in the 5000.

The Bulldogs will have four additional runners competing on Saturday at the Husky Classic.  Sophomore Kirsty Legg will run the women’s mile, while senior Kris Gauson will compete in the men’s mile.  Both Butler runners are currently ranked seventh nationally in that event.  Also running in the men’s mile will be freshman Harry Ellis.  Freshman Ross Clarke, the second-ranked freshman nationally in the mile and the fourth-ranked freshman in the 3000, will compete in the men’s 3000.

“(The Flotrack Husky Classic) is annually the most competitive invitational of the indoor year, producing  more national qualifiers in the distance events than any other meet by a large margin,” said Roe.  “This year’s meet is the deepest ever.”

While the six Butler distance runners make the cross country trek to Seattle, the rest of Butler’s track and field squad will head south to Bloomington to compete in the Hoosier Hills Meet, hosted by Indiana University on Friday, Feb. 11.