The Butler men's track and field team dominated the sprint events during Wednesday's Everett Kohls Classic at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex.
Butler won five of the 11 events at the Classic, which was shortened due to cold temperatures in the 40s and rain throughout the day. In addition to five top finishes, the Grizzlies also had six runner-up placings.
Grizzly freshman Steven Simmons cruised to victory in both the 100 and 200-meter dash events. Simmons ran a 10.62 time in the 100, then followed that up by crossing the finish line in 21.94 seconds to win the 200-meter race.
In the 400-meter dash, freshman Shaquan Woods finished first with a time of 50.29 seconds, giving the Grizzlies a clean sweep in all three sprint events. Woods, Calen Ragsdale (50.86) and Mario Thomas (52.06) placed 1-2-3 for Butler in the event.
Butler also won both hurdles events as freshmen Tard Smith (110-meter) and Leroy Wilson (400-meter) won their respective events.
Smith ran a 15.21 time to win the 110, while teammates Josh Ramirez (15.28) and Ronaldo Griffith (15.86) as Butler took the top three placings. Wilson (57.35) and Smith (58.31) finished 1-2 in the 400-meter hurdles.
Other runner-up finishes included Jake Taylor (800-meter run), Terrence Mayes (1500-meter run) and Lewis Cain (high jump).
Taylor (2:03.19) edged out teammate Cliffton Casurra (2:03.37) in the 800 for the second-place finish, while Mayes ran a 4:35.34 to finish second in the 1500. In the high jump, Cain had a clearance of 1.80 meters (5' 10-¾") on his second attempt to place runner-up.
Next up for Butler will be the Region VI Outdoor Championships in Hutchinson, which runs from May 3-5. The Grizzlies will then host the NJCAA National Outdoor meet on May 17-19.