Men's Cross Country Coach
Head Coach Jim Butler - 25th Season
Jim Butler begins his 25th 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. In 2011, Mike LeDuc won the ECAC Championship in the steeplechase and then earned All-American honors in that event with a sixth place finish at the NCAA Championship in a school record 9:03.
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. In 2010, Butler was inducted into the New London Athletic Hall of Fame.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, a 2010 graduate of Connecticut College.
Adam Fitzgerald - Assistant Coach - Eighth Season
Adam Fitzgerald is entering his eighth 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.
Matt Dyer - Assistant Coach - First Season
Matt Dyer, a 2008 graduate of Connecticut College, joins the men's cross country coaching staff this fall. Dyer began his coaching assignment with the track & field program in the spring of 2009, directing the squad's very successful sprint group. His men's 4x100 meter relay team broke the school record, topping the mark that Dyer helped set during his own career with the Camels.
Shawn Mulcahy - Assistant Coach - First Season
Shawn Mulcahy, a 2011 graduate of Connecticut College, returns to his alma-mater as an assistant coach this fall. Mulcahy made an immediate impact on the program, winnning the 10k at the New England Division III Track & Field Championship in his rookie season of 2008. He went on to place second in the same event in his senior season, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championship with a time of 31:13. A native of Lebanon, Conn., Mulcahy served as a co-captain for the 2010 Camel men's cross country team.
Last Modified: Friday, September 16, 2011 6:48 PM