Rice University Men's Track

2026 USTFCCCA South Central Assistant Coach of the Year 2024 USTFCCCA South Central Assistant Coach of the Year Brek Christensen enters his 13th season with ...

Butler and the Rice pole vaulting corps. Junior Jason Colwick had an exceptional year winning the 2009 NCAA Indoor title and the 2009 NCAA Outdoor championship as well. Colwick also posted the nation's number outdoor one mark for the second straight year. In 2008, Colwick posted the NCAA's number one mark in the pole vault, 5.55m/18-2.5, at the Texas Twilight Meet. Colwick also won the Conference USA outdoor title with a meet record mark of 5.31m/17-5. At the 2009 USA National Pole Vault Summit, Butler was awarded the 2009 Sports Culture Award for his work in promoting the history of the sport in the education of USA athletes and coaches. This award was given by the North American Pole Vault Association and the USA National Pole Vault Development Staff. He was inducted to the Spring Branch Memorial Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004, and into the New Haven High (Ind.) School Hall of Fame in 2006. He was the feature speaker at the 2012 Somero (Finland) Pole Vault Carnival, and presented at the 2008 & 2009 Houston Pole Vault Coaches Symposium and the 2011 HISD Coaches' Conference. Butler's articles have been published in , , and recognized in and . He is the creator of the "Steel to Fiberglass" and "140 Drills and Exercises for the Pole Vault" instructional DVDs, and the Facebook page, "The Vault: How Bamboo, Steel & Fiberglass Changed Our Lives." One of his most accomplished vaulters was former Rice Owl Rachel Greff. In 2006, 2007, and 2008, Greff won both the indoor and outdoor C-USA pole vault titles. A Houston native, Greff earned All-America status in 2008 by placing fifth at the NCAA Outdoor Championship and she also placed second at the NCAA Midwest Regional. She is Rice's record-holder for outdoor with a mark of 4.20m (13-9.25). In her four years with Butler, Beth Hinshaw went from learning how to pole vault in 2001 to earning indoor All-America honors and winning both WAC indoor and outdoor titles in 2004. Hinshaw also won the 2004 NCAA regional crown en route to the NCAA championships and set the Rice outdoor record of 13-6.25. Ally Daum also flourished under Butler's guidance. The pair share the Rice indoor record of 13-3.5. Daum finished fourth at the 2004 WAC indoor meet and was fifth at the outdoor meet. In 2004, he coached Ryan Walsh to the WAC indoor crown and a third-place finish at the outdoor meet. His efforts also guided Ryan Harlan to second-place in the pole vault at WAC outdoors and contributed to his NCAA and WAC decathlon titles. In 2001, he coached David Jacobs to a second-place finish at the indoor conference championships, and guided Harlan and Walsh to fourth and fifth, respectively, at the WAC outdoor meet. Jacobs continued to flourish under Butler's guidance, finishing second again at the 2003 WAC indoor meet. In three years with Butler, Harlan evolved from a 10-6 beginner to a 16-7 competitor. Butler coached high school track and field for 23 years. He is recognized nationally for outstanding contribution to the development of the pole vault in the United States, and known as the "father of the girls' high school pole vault in Texas," for his work in bringing the sport to the Lone Star State in 2001. He was named the 1998 USA high school pole vault coach of the year and coached the 1998 high school indoor and outdoor national champion. Butler is an active member of the USA national pole vault developmental staff and currently teaches at Spring Branch Middle School. He has been a regular feature speaker at the USA National Pole Vault Summit (2001-2010), presentator at the 2010 European Pole Vault Conference in Cologne, Germany, and featured speaker at the 2008 NACACTFCA International Athletics Conference held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Butler was also appointed Development Chair for Emerging Elites for the USA Pole Vault staff in 2009. He is a former school record holder in the pole vault at Ball State. 07/25/2016 - On the heels of a 10th place finish in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon, Rice junior All-American Scott Filip will... 07/12/2016 - For the ninth time in the past 11 years, Rice University student-athletes earned the Conference USA Institutional Excellence Award in 2015-16 by... 07/08/2016 - Rice graduate All-American thrower Evan Karakolis took home a gold medal in the javelin at Fridays Canadian Track and Field Championships at... 07/06/2016 - Rice All-American thrower Evan Karakolis will be looking to earn a trip to the Olympic Games in Rio when he competes at the Canadian Championships ... 07/03/2016 - Rice junior track and field athlete Scott Filip placed 10th overall in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, highlighted by a fifth place ... 07/02/2016 - Rice junior track and field athlete Scott Filip will enter Sunday in sixth place in the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials after racking up ... 06/29/2016 - The U.S. Olympic Team Trials returns to the University of Oregons Hayward Field this week from June 30-July 10 where current and former Owls... 06/24/2016 - Rice senior thrower Evan Karakolis was selected to the 2016 Academic All-America Division I Track & Field/Cross Country First Team for a second...