Butler Seeks NCAA Bid At Great Lakes Regional

Nov. 14, 2003

BID DAY: The Butler men's and women's cross country teams, already "Top Dogs" in the Horizon League, will try to earn an invitation to the NCAA national meet when they compete at the Great Lakes Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 15. Butler head coach Joe Franklin will take eight men and seven women to Terre Haute, Ind., to compete in the regional qualifying meet at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center. The men's 10,000 meter race is slated to begin at 11 a.m. (EST), while the women's 6,000 meter race will follow at 12:15 p.m. The top two teams and the top four individuals, not on one of those teams (providing they finish in the top 25) will automatically qualify for the NCAA Meet on Nov. 24. Teams and individuals also may earn an "at-large" bid. Butler's men placed seventh at the Great Lakes Regional Meet last year and earned an "at-large" bid to the NCAA Championship.

REGIONAL LINEUP: Butler's lineup for the men's race at the Great Lakes Regional will include seniors Gary Blackman and Bart Phariss, and juniors Olly Laws, Tom Frazer, John Frazer, Nick Goodliffe, Bill Peterman and Andrew Sherman. Competing for Butler's women will be seniors Becky Lyne, Mary Reeves and Rholonda Ash, junior Monika Schneider, sophomore Katie Stuckey and freshmen Kara Henry and Maggie Mathieson.

LEAGUE CHAMPS: Butler made a clean sweep in its last competition, winning the Horizon League men's and women's cross country titles on Nov. 1. It was the sixth consecutive championship for Butler's men, while the Butler women captured their second straight crown and their sixth in eight years. Butler's men took the top four individual places and seven of the top 11 finishes! The Butler women placed four runners among the "Top 10" individuals.

SIMPLY THE BEST: Butler junior Olly Laws, running in his first league meet, captured the men's individual title at the Horizon League Championship. He out-raced the field in a winning time of 25:08. It was the seventh consecutive individual title for the Butler men. Senior Becky Lyne claimed Butler's third women's individual crown at the Horizon League meet with a winning time of 18:29. Both Butler runners earned first team all-league recognition.

ALL-LEAGUE: Butler's luggage on the return trip from the Horizon League Championship was considerably heavier. Seven Butler men and four Butler women earned all-league honors at the conference meet. Joining junior Olly Laws on the men's all-league first team were junior Nick Goodliffe, senior Gary Blackman and junior Tom Frazer, while senior Bart Phariss and juniors John Frazer and Andrew Sherman were named second team all-league. Senior Becky Lyne and junior Monika Schneider earned first team honors on the women's all-league squad, while senior Mary Reeves and sophomore Katie Stuckey were named second team

TOP DOG: Butler head coach Joe Franklin was named Horizon League "Coach of the Year" for both men's and women's cross country at the league championship. Franklin has been the league's cross country "Coach of the Year" 11 times during his young career!

NATIONAL NOTICE: The Bulldogs will take a "Top 40" national ranking to the Great Lakes Regional Meet. Butler is ranked 35th in the Nov. 4 Mondo Men's Cross Country Poll. The Bulldogs are ninth in the Great Lakes Region.