Kansas Jayhawks
Ben Butler - Cross Country - Kansas Jayhawks

Ben Butler

Position Distance
Height 5'10''
Class Senior
Hometown Highlands Ranch, Colo.
High School SkyView Academy

CAREER RESULTS

Career Highlights
2019 Cross Country Midwest Region honors (20th place)
2019 Cross Country Academic All-Big 12 First Team
2018 Cross Country All-Big 12 Team

2020 CROSS COUNTRY (Sr.)
The first Jayhawk to cross the finish line at the season-opening Bob Timmons Classic (9/19), running his 6K in 18:35.7 to place seventh individually … KU’s only top-10 finisher in the meet on the men’s side … Again led the Jayhawk men at the Cowboy Jamboree (10/3), running to an 11th-place individual finish in a field of 120 competitors … Finished his 8K at the OSU Cross Country Course in 23:30.5.

2020 INDOOR (Sr.)
Opened his season at the Jayhawk Classic (1/23-1/24), running a personal best 4:20.87 in the mile … Placed sixth at the Iowa State Classic (2/14-2/15) in the 3,000 meters, running a 8:15.96.

2019 CROSS COUNTRY (Jr.)
In his first race of the season, was KU’s second finisher at the Pre-National Invitational (10/19), crossing the finish line in 24:21.7 to place 41st among a field of 257 of some of the best runners in the nation in the Men’s 8K Blue Race … Helped lead the men’s team to a top-20 finish at Pre-Nationals, where they placed 19th out of 38 teams with 532 points … Crossed the finish line at the Big 12 Championship (11/2) in 24:16.4 … His 8K time earned him a 21st-place finish individually … Helped lead the men’s team to a fourth-place finish with 92 points … As one of the top-25 finishers in each race, earned All-Region honors with his 20th-place finish in 31:19.7 at the NCAA Division I Midwest Region Cross Country Championships (11/15) in Stillwater, Oklahoma … Best finish (one of three) for a KU runner at a Regional Meet since 2015 … Collectively, Kansas ran to a third-place team finish at the OSU Cross Country Course, which marked the men’s highest finish at a Regional meet since 2006.

2019 INDOOR (Jr.)
Posted a second place finish in the 3,000-meter run at the KU-KSU-WSU Triangular (1/18) with a time of 8:30.14 … Recorded a personal-best time in the 3,000-meter run at the Power Five Invitational (2/1-2/2), finishing in fifth place with a time of 8:22.99 … Ran a new personal-best in the 3,000-meter run at the ISU Classic (2/8-2/9), finishing with a time of 8:17.79 … Posted a personal-best in the 5K at the 92nd Kansas Relays (4/17-20), finishing second with a time of 14:17.13.

2018 CROSS COUNTRY (So.)
Finished fourth overall and third for the Jayhawks at the season-opening Bob Timmons Classic (9/1) with a time of 19:38.8 in the men’s 6K race … Placed fifth overall at the Rim Rock Classic (9/29) as KU’s third finisher in the men’s 8K with a time of 24:43.5 … One of three Jayhawks to finish in the top-100 in the men’s 8K at the Pre-National Invitational (10/13), placing 96th with a time of 25:01.43 … Finished second for the Jayhawks and 12th overall at the Big 12 Championship (10/26) with a time of 24:14.8 … KU’s second finisher and 34th overall finisher in the 10K at the NCAA Midwest Regional (11/9) with a time of 31:46.9.

2018 OUTDOOR (At Oklahoma State)
Did not compete.

2018 INDOOR (At Oklahoma State)
Placed eighth in the 3,000-meter run at the Corky Classic (1/13) with a time of 8:50.74 … Placed 19th at the Razorback Invitational (1/26-27) in the 3,000 meters with a time of 8:34.92 … Ran a career-best time of 8:26.87 in the 3,000 meters at the Husky Classic (2/9-10) … Placed 27th in the 3,000 meters a the Big 12 Indoor Championship (2/23-24) and 15th in the 5,000 meters with a time of 14:55.56.

2017 CROSS COUNTRY (At Oklahoma State)
Ran in one meet, the Penn State National Open (10/13), where he finished 67th overall in the 8.4K race with a time of 26:45.6.

2017 OUTDOOR (At Oklahoma State)
Utilized redshirt season.

2017 INDOOR (At Oklahoma State)
Utilized redshirt season.

2016 CROSS COUNTRY (At Oklahoma State)
Utilized redshirt season.

HIGH SCHOOL
Three-time cross country class 3A state champion as well as a two-time 3A 3,200-meter champion for head coach Randy Scherer at SkyView Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colorado … Earned All-State track honors four times and All-State cross country honors three times … Finished third at the 2016 USA Cross Country Championships … Team captain for the track & field squad at SkyView for all four years … National Honor Society president during the 2015-16 school year and graduated as the valedictorian of his class … Named as the Physics Scholar of the Year in 2015 and won the 2016 Honorable Leader Award.

PERSONAL
Son of Patrick and Kelly Butler … Brother to three younger siblings; Ryan, Paige and Joe … Both parents attended KU … Brother, Ryan, also runs at Kansas … Majoring in business and Spanish.