Brad Butler is in his fourth season as head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach with Indiana State after joining the program in August 2021.
Butler's third season saw the Sycamore distance crew continue to make strides both in the program and conference ranks. Indiana State placed fifth on the men's side at the MVC Cross Country Championships, the program's highest finish in six years, while the women's team made a three-spot improvement from the previous season by placing seventh. Emma Gresham (22:01.6), Rachel Conhoff (22:03.8) and Morgan Dyer (22:10.0) all ran top-20 6k times in program history on the women's side, while Gresham also ran a top-five LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course time in program history (18:24.1) at the John McNichols Invitational. Logan Pietrzak (31:24) and Cael Light (31:30) moved into the top-20 10k times in program history in 2023, while Light and Layton Hall both placed in the top 25 at the conference championships. Conhoff (1500m - 4:25.93, steeplechase - 10:54.51), Gresham (3000m - 9:47.17, 1500m - 4:27.72, outdoor 5000m - 17:20.84) and Erica Barker (3000m - 9:38.99, indoor 5000m - 16:49.68) all set multiple program top-20 marks during the Sycamores' double-title winning season, with the Trees' outdoor distance medley relay and 4x1600m relay times also ranking in the top 10 in program history. Jason Dworak ran the second-fastest 1500m time in program history (3:43.69) to claim MVC runner-up honors, while Logan Pietrzak (9:00.90) and Ryan Handy (9:03.29) both cracked the top 10 in program history in the steeplechase. Dworak (3000m - 8:12.43, 5000m - 14:35.66) and Pietrzak (3000m - 8:15.10, 5000m - 14:15.42) both claimed a pair of indoor top-10 marks, while the Sycamores' distance medley relay turned in top-three program times both indoor (9:50.13) and outdoor (9:51.32).
In his second season in Terre Haute, Butler guided Cael Light to Honorable Mention All-MVC honors in cross country, while multiple top-10 distance program marks were set during both indoor and outdoor season. The DMR team of Ethan Breen, Tahj Johnson, Wyatt Wyman and Jackson Krieg moved up to second in indoor program history (9:47.61), with Breen (mile, 4:06.99) and Krieg (3000m, 8:17.69) moving into the top 10 in individual events as well. Logan Pietrzak climbed the charts in the 5000-meter run during both indoor (14:32.17) and outdoor (14:17.21) season, while Breen (3:46.59) and Jason Dworak (3:48.45) both entered the top 10 in program history in the outdoor 1500-meter run. Breen, Krieg, Dworak and Light moved up to second in program history in the 4x1600-meter relay (16:45.61), while the outdoor DMR team of Breen, Krieg, Wyman and Cameron Stevens also moved to second in program history with a time of 9:51.00. On the women's side, Erica Barker cracked the top 10 in program history in four different events (indoor 3000m - 9:53.95, indoor 5000m - 17:01.48, outdoor 5000m - 16:48.33, outdoor 10,000m - 35:56.60) and Cassidy Bagby earned a spot in the top 10 in the 3000-meter steeplechase (11:10.54). Barker (6k), Krieg (8k), Dworak (8k), Pietrzak (8k) and Light (10k) all climbed into the top 20 in cross country program history.
Butler's debut campaign with Indiana State saw the Sycamores secure numerous top marks throughout the 2021-22 season. Jocelyn Quiles earned five all-conference honors between cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, while. winning the 1-mile run at the MVC Indoor Championship and setting the Gately Park facility record of 4:45.89 in the process. Quiles also broke the 5000-meter run school record under Butler's watch by nearly 10 seconds, running a time of 16:17.95 at the Drake Relays to take down the previous top mark. Between cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, Quiles ranks in the top three in school history in six different events, with nearly all of those marks coming during the 2021-22 season under Butler. Cale Kilian also developed into one of the top distance runners in the Missouri Valley Conference, setting top-five marks in program history in the mile (4:06.90) and 3000-meter run (8:09.86), earning all-conference honors in the former at the MVC Indoor Championships. Wyatt Wyman also had a breakout season for the Blue and White, setting top-10 marks in program history in the 800-meter run both indoors (1:50.37) and outdoors (1:50.14) while earning all-conference honors during indoor season in the event. Indiana State's men's distance medley relay team of Jackson Krieg, Ben Shepard, Jocqael Thorpe and Ethan Breen earned all-conference honors during indoor season, while the DMR team of Breen, Tahj Johnson, Wyman and Kilian set the outdoor school record of 9:49.87 at the Drake Relays. Butler's first season saw a pair of Sycamore men's distance runners set top-10 marks in program history during outdoor season as well, with Kilian (3:44.04) and Logan Pietrzak (14:24.10) earning top marks in the 1500-meter run and 5000-meter run, respectively.
Butler joined the Sycamores after an 11-year stint at Eastern Illinois as the men’s and women’s assistant cross country and track & field coach. During his time with the Panthers, Butler helped lead EIU athletes to 86 All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in track and field, 49 All-OVC honors in cross country, 36 OVC cross country Medal of Honor winners, 31 OVC champions in track and field, 25 team championships and 19 school records.
Butler wasted no time making an impact in Charleston, as Eastern Illinois won the OVC Women's Cross Country Championship in 2011, just his second season with the program. During his time with the Panthers, he also helped lead the EIU cross country program to a top-15 regional ranking in the Midwest. Butler coached a pair of All-Midwest Region runners in Dustin Hatfield (2018) and Riley McInerney (2015), with Hatfield also earning OVC Male Freshman of the Year honors in 2017. He played an instrumental role in the development of Maria Baldwin into one of the top runners in the OVC. Baldwin set the EIU school record in the 6K and earned OVC Female Freshman of the Year honors in 2013.
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On the national stage, Butler’s athletes have qualified for NCAA Regionals eight times and two athletes have earned All-Region honors in cross country.
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In addition to success on the course and track, Butler’s athletes have enjoyed academic success, with the average cross country team GPA coming in a 3.33. He has also seen 26 athletes named to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Teams.
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Prior to his career in coaching, Butler was a successful runner at Eastern Illinois. He was the OVC 10K champion in 2006 and 2009 in addition to the indoor 5K champion in 2007. In all, Butler earned eight All-OVC honors between cross country and track and field.
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