Men's Cross Country Coach
Head Coach Jim Butler - 23rd Season
Jim Butler begins his 23rd season as the head coach of the Connecticut College men's Cross Country team. During that time, he has built the Camels into one of the top Division III programs in New England. In 2002, Connecticut College finished fourth at the New England Division III Championships, qualifying as a team for the NCAA Division III National Championships. The Camels placed 20th at the National Championships held in Northfield, Minn. where Butler was named the NCAA Division III New England Region Coach of the Year.
In 2003, he coached Adam Fitzgerald to a 23rd place finish at Nationals, earning Fitzgerald All-American honors. In 2004, after leading a young Camel team to a fourth place finish at the NESCAC Championship, he was voted NESCAC Coach of the Year. Butler also serves as the Assistant Head Coach for the men's and women's Track & Field team at the College, coaching the men's distance and mid-distance runners in the winter and spring seasons.
Under Butler's tutelage Adam Fitzgerald (10k), Keith Drake (mile), Brian Murtagh (steeplechase and 3k) and Shawn Mulcahy (10k) have all won recent New England Division III track titles. In 2007, Drake qualified for the NCAA's in the mile (indoors) and the 1500 meters (outdoors), and in 2008 Murtagh earned All-American honors in the steeplechase with an eighth place finish at the National Championships.
During his racing career, Butler was among the top runners in southeastern Connecticut. He holds personal bests of 25:48 for five miles, 53:46 for ten miles, and 2:36:48 for the marathon. He has run more than 50 marathons, qualified for the Boston Marathon twenty times, and won the 1983 southeastern Connecticut 24-hour race.
A four-year member of the Cross Country and Track & Field teams at Rutgers University, Butler graduated in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in Political Science/Urban Planning. He earned his master's degree in Public Administration from the University of New Haven in 1982. Butler resides in New London with his wife Debra and their two children, Brendan and Devon.
Adam Fitzgerald - Assistant Coach - Sixth Season
Adam Fitzgerald is entering his sixth season as the Assistant Coach of Men's Cross Country. Fitzgerald, a 2003 graduate of Connecticut College, returned as a graduate student with eligibility for the fall 2003 season where he would race to All-NESCAC, All-New England, and All-American honors. While a member of the Camel Track & Field team, Fitzgerald was NESCAC, New England Division III, and All-New England Champion in the 10,000 meters. Fitzgerald holds the school record in the 10k distance with a time of 30:53.77. Still competing, in October 2009 Fitzgerald placed 49th at the Chicago Marathon in a personal best time of 2:25:30.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 3:55 PM