Eastern Illinois University Men's Cross Country

Butler worked as a graduate assistant with the cross country team and track teams during his first season before joining the staff full time in 2010. Butler helps coach the cross country team and distance runners. Eastern Illinois again posted a strong season with its cross country teams and distance crew in 2015-16.  Both EIU squads placed second in the OVC Cross Country Championships with two athletes for both the men and women earning All-OVC honors.  Riley McInernery would go on to place 24th at the NCAA Regional to earn All-Region honors.  That success continued into the track season as the EIU men won the OVC Indoor Championship with the EIU women taking home the women's OVC Outdoor crown.  During the indoor and outdoor seasons fifteen athletes posted times that ranked in the EIU career top ten.  Six athletes earned first or second team All-OVC honors in distance events during the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Panthers once again challenged for the OVC cross country title on the women's side placing second in the conference in 2014.  Maria Baldwin was named the OVC Freshman of the Year as she was one of three Panthers that earned All-OVC honors in cross country.  Sophomore Emily Brelsfoard excelled during the season setting the school record for the 6K distance in cross country.  During the cross country season EIU had eight times that landed in the women's top 20 at the 6K distance and three top ten times in the women's 5K distance.  On the track Howarth coached the distance crew as they helped the EIU women win the OVC Indoor Track Championship and EIU men win the OVC Outdoor Track Championship.  The Panthers had 11 women post marks in the career top ten during the indoor season with Jordan Wallace setting the school record in the indoor 3K.   During the outdoor season the EIU women posted nine career top ten EIU marks.  On the mens side Riley McInerney posted an indoor mile time that landed in the EIU top ten while Joe Calio posted a career top ten mark in the steeplechase.  Saddled with a young women's squad of distance runners in 2013 helped lead the women's team to a third place finish in the OVC Championships as the eight scorer runners were comprised of all freshmen and sophomores. During the season EIU runners posted top ten times in the women's 5K, women's 6K and men's 10K distances. He coached two runners to second team All-OVC honors with Riley McInerney for the men and Victoria Quarton for the women both placing in the top 14 at the league meet. During the 2014 track season Butler helped coach the distance runners as they posted 11 marks in the school top ten on the men's and women's side. ,Freshman runner Emily Brelsfoard set the school record in the outdoor 10K. In 2012 Butler helped EIU distance runners again improve upon their times. The men's team placed second in the OVC Championships while the women placed third. Two individual runners (Bryce Basting and Britney Whitehead) both placed 37th at the NCAA Regional meet for the men and women., Six athletes earned All-OVC honors with four on the first team (two men and two women). During the track season, Butler helped the distance crew post several personal bests with Whitehead setting the school record in the 1500m and steeplechase. In 2011 Butler helped coach the Panthers to one of their most successful seasons as the EIU womens team won the OVC Championship and the men placed second., During the season several athletes set new personal records., The Panthers again posted several personal records in 2012 as EIU finished second at the OVC Championships for the men and third for the women. Six athletes earned All-Conference honors with four first team honorees., Bryce Basting posted a top ten EIU mark in the mens 8K while Olivia Klaus and Britney Whitehead posted the second and third fastest 5K times in EIU history. In 2010 Butler helped coach the Panthers as they set several new school marks including the Panthers lowest point total in school history at the OVC Championships as the EIU women placed second with 45 points. Five members of that team earned All-OVC honors with Olivia Klaus and Gabriela Duenas as first team all conference performers. On the mens side Bradley LaRocque earned first team All-OVC honors giving EIU six All-Conference selections. The women placed the highest at the NCAA Regional championships since 2005; while the men had the entire team run personal bests at the NCAA Regional meet. As a prep athlete Butler ran for his dad at Monticello High School in Illinois., Butler was a first-team All-OVC selection in track winning the 10,000 meters as a sophomore in 2006 and as a senior in 2009. As a junior he won the indoor 5k. Butler was also a multiple all-conference selection in cross country and distance races while at EIU graduating in 2009. He earned his masters degree from EIU in sports administration in 2009 as well.

Howarth coaches the middle distance and distance runners for the EIU track program where she has helped that group set several school records. Eastern Illinois again posted a strong season with its cross country teams and distance crew under Howarth's leadership in 2015-16.  Both EIU squads placed second in the OVC Cross Country Championships with two athletes for both the men and women earning All-OVC honors.  Riley McInernery would go on to place 24th at the NCAA Regional to earn All-Region honors.  That success continued into the track season as the EIU men won the OVC Indoor Championship with the EIU women taking home the women's OVC Outdoor crown.  During the indoor and outdoor seasons fifteen athletes posted times that ranked in the EIU career top ten.  Six athletes earned first or second team All-OVC honors in distance events during the OVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The Panthers once again challenged for the OVC cross country title in on the women's side placing second in the conference at the 2014 OVC meet.  Maria Baldwin was named the OVC Freshman of the Year as she was one of three Panthers that earned All-OVC honors in cross country.  Sophomore Emily Brelsfoard excelled during the season setting the school record for the 6K distance in cross country.  During the cross country season Howarth's team had eight times that landed in the women's top 20 at the 6K distance and three top ten times in the women's 5K distance.  On the track Howarth coached the distance crew as they helped the EIU women win the OVC Indoor Track Championship and EIU men win the OVC Outdoor Track Championship.  The Panthers had 11 women post marks in the career top ten during the indoor season with Jordan Wallace setting the school record in the indoor 3K.   During the outdoor season the EIU women posted nine career top ten EIU marks.  On the mens side Riley McInerney posted an indoor mile time that landed in the EIU top ten while Joe Calio posted a career top ten mark in the steeplechase.  Saddled with a young women's squad of distance runners in 2013 Howarth may have turned in one of the best coaching jobs of her career leading the women's team to a third place finish in the OVC Championships as the eight scorer runners were comprised of all freshmen and sophomores. During the season her runners posted top ten times in the women's 5K, women's 6K and men's 10K distances. She coached two runners to second team All-OVC honors with Riley McInerney for the men and Victoria Quarton for the women both placing in the top 14 at the league meet. During the 2014 track season Howarth coached the distance runners as they posted 11 marks in the school top ten on the men's and women's side. Freshman runner Emily Brelsfoard set the school record in the outdoor 10K.  The 2014 track season had Howarth coaching ten All-OVC performers with three individual event champions.  Pablo Ramirez was the indoor men's 5K champion while Emily Brelsfoard was the women's indoor 5K champion.  During the outdoor season Brelsfoard set the school record in the 10K while winning that event at the OVC Championships.  EIU posted 16 top ten performances between the two seasons combined with four freshmen records being set. In 2012 Howarth again had the Panthers competing at the top of the OVC as the men placed second and the women third at the OVC Championships. Six athletes earned first team All-OVC honors with four first team honorees. During the season several athletes improved their personal bests while EIU posted several top ten marks in the EIU record book., Bryce Basting ran the 8th best 8K in school history while Olivia Klaus and Britney Whitehead posted the second and third fastest 5K times in school history. Basting and Whitehead would go on to finish 37th at the NCAA Regional, the highest finish for an EIU individual in several years. ,During the 2013 track season Howarth helped several athletes post personal bests with Britney Whitehead setting the school record in the 1500m and steeplechase. Whitehead along with senior Erika Ramos (800m) both advanced to compete in the NCAA West Regional.  During the 2013 track season Howarth coached 14 All-OVC performers with five individual event champions.  Senior runner Britney Whitehead won the indoor women's 5K, the women's outdoor 1500m and the women's steeplechase.  Whitehead also set school records in three events (indoor 3K, indoor mile, steeplechase).  The Panthers under Howarth set two school distance relay records in the 4x800 and outdoor DMR.  A total of 18 performances landed in the EIU career top ten while Whitehead and Ramirez advanced to the NCAA Outdoor Regional. In 2011 Howarth coached the Panthers to one of their most successful seasons as the EIU swept the running triple crown with a cross country, indoor track and outdoor track conference title. In cross country the team won only its second OVC title as five athletes earned All-OVC honors with the team scoring a record 27 points. The Panthers would go on to place 18th in the NCAA Regional with junior Erika Ramos placing 49th. Ramos would set the school record in 6K while several athletes set personal records. On the mens side EIU placed second in the OVC with four athletes earning All-OVC honors. Senior Brad LaRocque posted a school top twenty time during the year as he placed 50th at the NCAA Regional.  During the 2012 track season EIU swept the men's and women's steeplechase events at the OVC Outdoor Championships under Howarth's direction as Britney Whitehead and Graham Morris set school records in the events en route to NCAA Regional appearances.  Morris won the men's steeplechase event at the Drake Relays as well.  The Panthers posted 22 top ten marks in distance events during the indoor and outdoor campaign. In her first season with EIU the Panthers set several new school marks including the Panthers lowest point total in school history at the OVC Championships as the EIU women placed second with 45 points. Five members of that team earned All-OVC honors with Olivia Klaus and Gabriela Duenas as first team all conference performers. On the mens side Bradley LaRocque earned first team All-OVC honors giving EIU six All-Conference selections. The women placed the highest at the NCAA Regional championships since 2005; while the men had the entire team run personal bests at the NCAA Regional meet. Howarth spent three years working in a similar position at New Mexico where she helped coach six All-American runners during her tenure with the Lobos. In 2008 she helped guide the womens cross country program to the Mountain West Conference Championship. The team would place second in the NCAA Mountain Region Championships and place 18th at the NCAA Championships. In 2009 both the mens and the womens cross country teams won the Mountain West Conference Championship and went on to qualify for the NCAA National Championships. The women placed 13th in the country. Prior to her time at New Mexico Howarth worked as an assistant coach at Butler helping coach two All-American distance runners. During her two years she helped the Bulldogs capture back-to-back Horizon League cross country championships and saw 3 teams to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. A native of New Lenox, Ill., the former Erin Kelly was a distance runner at Butler from 1996-99 earning her degree in 2000.  Howarth recently completed a masters in sports adminstration from Eastern Illinois in 2014.  She was a four-time first team All-Horizon League selection in cross country and upon graduation held the school record in the outdoor 5,000 meters. Her husband Paul is a marathoner. The couple have two children.