Butler’s Brendan Eicher headlines a talented trio of Golden Tornado cross country runners this season. He is one of the top returning athletes in the county after finishing 34th in the WPIAL Cross Country Championships. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

It seems odd-numbered years are particularly kind to Butler’s boys cross country team.

Over the last eight years, the Golden Tornado have made the PIAA Class 3A Cross Country Championships in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. The year 2025 is another odd number, so the program has to believe it’s their year again, right?

It’s possible. Three of Butler’s top returning runners are expected to be among the top athletes running up and down Western Pennsylvania hills this fall, with hopes of improving on a WPIAL fourth-place finish and returning to Hershey’s daunting Parkview Cross Country Course.

Here are this year’s top boys runners to watch from Butler County, listed alphabetically:

Beck earned a spot in the PIAA Cross Country Championships after a ninth-place finish in the District 9 Class 1A championship meet, where he ran 17:29.4. At states, he finished 59th in 18:09.

Look for North Catholic’s Tyler Carroll to contend for more WPIAL and PIAA hardware this season. Robert McGraw/Butler Eagle

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The Trojans and Butler could vie for the county’s best overall team this year, ignoring classifications, and it starts on North’s side with Carroll. He placed seventh at the WPIAL Class 2A championships with a time of 16:05, then took home a PIAA medal in Hershey with a 16:48 to finish 23rd.

Expect Eicher, who held his own against some talented distance runners during the track season — finishing 10th in the WPIAL Class 3A 3200-meter run in 9:37.85 — to contend for a berth in states. He finished 34th in the WPIAL Class 3A meet with a time of 16:39.8 last year, not far off a podium spot.

Knoch’s Carter French made the PIAA Class 2A Cross Country Championships podium last year, finishing 11th. Robert McGraw/Butler Eagle

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French is arguably the area’s best returning distance runner after the graduation of Freeport standout and Penn State-bound Michael Braun. French finished 11th in the Class 2A state championships with a time of 16:35 and seventh in the WPIAL 3200 during the track and field season. That came on the heels of his fifth-place finish at WPIALs, when he ran a 15:59.2.

Butler's Logan Rogers anchored a strong 4x800-meter relay team during the track and field season and made the WPIAL cross country podium in 17th last year. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

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Rogers is back for one last season trying to return the Tornado to the state championships in Hershey. He posted a 16:21.4 in WPIALs last year to finish 17th, helping Butler to a fourth-place finish as a team.

North Catholic’s Jack Steineman finished 17th at the WPIAL Cross Country Championships last year. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

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The Trojans are high on Steineman as well, with thoughts he could finish Top 10 in the state in 2A. He’s coming off a 17th place finish at WPIALs, running a 16:44.5, then followed that up at states as a rookie with a time of 17:55 to finish 102nd.

Butler's Ethan Thomas, second from right, finished 24th in the WPIAL Cross Country Championships last year. Submitted photo

The third Tornado representative this year, exemplifying the top-end depth of the roster. Thomas crossed the finish line 24th in 16:28.4 in the district championships. He finished ninth in the WPIAL 3,200 and was part of Butler’s 4x800 relay that won bronze at WPIALs.

Weiland placed 13th in the District 9 championships in a time of 17:38.5, joining Beck and graduated teammate Griffin Booher as the area’s D9 representatives in the PIAA meet. There, Weiland finished 71st with a time of 18:16.