Butler Indoor Track & Field teams ready to get season started

The 2022 Track and Field season starts on Thursday for the Butler Grizzlies with a trip to Wichita State and Head Coach Greg Franklin expects another promising season for the Grizzlies. 

The Grizzlies are coming off a year that saw them break records, and Franklin believes his team this year has the potential to be even better.

"I think this could be the deepest men's team we've had since 2016," Franklin, in his eighth season as head coach of the Grizzlies, said. 

The men's indoor team is coming off an eighth place finish in the Region VI meet, and 10th place at nationals, while the women's indoor team is coming off a fifth place finish at nationals.

The Grizzlies return sophomore Dakari Carter who won the national championship in the men's indoor 200 meter dash last season, as well as seven other returners from last year, in addition to welcoming 25 freshmen to the roster.

The women's team returns three of the four members of the 4x400 team that set the new school record when they raced at nationals last year. The team recorded the fastest time in the nation when they set a facility record during the Region IV championship. Toshel Goffe, Kaleb McDonald, and Kiara Brown all return to the relay team this season. They're joined by eight new freshman additions to the roster.

"I think that this team can win the region this year." Franklin said.

The Grizzlies will face a loaded schedule. It starts on the indoor circuit with the Shocker Prelude on Thursday before a trip to the Arkansas Invitational for a nationally televised meet at the University of Arkansas. They're two of three division one meets that the Grizzlies will feature in this season. The Grizzlies will host an annual meet, the Grizzly Classic, on April 16th at BG Products Veterans Stadium. The Indoor Region Championships, as well as the national championships, will be held at Pittsburg State University.

"I think that we really tried to have a tough schedule this year, and that will help us prepare for the teams we face in the conference and Region VI," commented Franklin.