COLLEGE INDOOR T&F: NOTHING CAN STOP CORNING'S BUTLER IN MAGICAL INDOOR SEASON THAT ENDS WITH NATIONAL TITLE (2022-03-22)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
The expectations were high for Lindsey Butler as she entered the NCAA Championships.

The Corning grad had the best time in the nation when she won the ACC Championships for Virginia Tech, a time that was 17th best in the world.

All of that meant there was a little bit of pressure on Butler as she headed into the championships.

For some pressure can be a burden, for Butler it was just motivation and by the end of the NCAA Championships she had claimed her first NCAA title, winning the 800 meters.

“It was so exciting,” Butler said. “It was really surreal in a way. It was kind of a relief, because I was in this position last year and it didn’t go this way so to finally do what I need to do felt great.

“I think about last year and all the emotions I felt when I won my first ACC title and its as really awesome. I still think back to that and I think the biggest thing I had ever done and it was something I never saw coming. This was something that was I guess, everyone was expecting of me. It was a great feeling, but kind of different than the other races I have.”

For Butler the entire experience was special.

“It was really awesome,” Butler said., “it was the first NCAA’s that my parents and my sister were able to be there, and having all the teammates there, so it was really special.”

Butler knew going in that a lot of people’s race plans would involve thinking about what she was going to do.

“I think we had a good feeling that everybody else race plan would probably have something based on me,” Butler said. “Our race plan was do your own thing, but make sure you are in first by the half and that was kind of what I did. It was really messy in there. A lot of pushing going on. Got to the front and made sure that had nothing to do with me.”

A lot of people got bumped around in the pack and in fact even Butler nearly fell before making her way to the front.

“Even before I kind of made my move up to the front there was a lot of congestion going on and I almost fell,” Butler said.”Luckily, I learned from my lacrosse days where I was falling all over the field and I kept my balance and that was the momentum and push I needed to get to the front and I did not want to let anyone up there because all I could think was there was a whole mess behind me.”

One of the challenges in the final was watching as a runner jumped out to a really fast lead for the first half of the race.

Butler stayed back in front of the rest of the pack and then at the halfway point she started to make her move.

A year ago something similar happened and Butler watched that runner go fast and win the race. This time Butler wasn’t about to let someone stay ahead the whole race.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking,” Butler said of watching someone go out fast. “But, I think what was really important was last year at the same race the girl that ended up as the national champion did that exact move. But, I think that really helped me learn. Once the race was done last year I thought if I didn’t give up I know I could have caught her. That was the lesson I was thinking in my head.

“I’ve seen this before, I can’t let this overwhelm me. I kind of sized her up, and I said, she’s fast, but I know I can close that. It didn’t like it did last year which was great. It was a little overwhelming, but I’ve seen it.”

A year ago Butler wasn’t sure how to react when someone was out fast and she didn’t know quite how to react.

“She went out so fast and in my naive brain I was like oh my gosh, that’s so fast, I can’t make that ground up so I kind of gave up the race before it was halfway over,” Butler said. “This time I thought, she’s two seconds ahead of me at the 400. I can make up this ground, that was the difference. Just looking at it thinking let me make up this ground instead of thinking this is too much to make up.”

 After knowing she had a chance to win the race a year ago, it was special to capture the title this year.

While the championship is amazing, it was a little different feeling than some other wins in her career. This time Butler knew that there were some expectations on her going into the race.

“It was so exciting,” Butler said. “It was really surreal in a way, it was kind of a relief. I was in this position last year and it didn’t go this way, so to finally do what I needed to do felt great. I think about last year and all the emotions I felt when I won my first ACC title and it was really awesome. I still think back to that and I think that’s the biggest thing I have ever done and it was something I never saw coming. This was something that was, I guess, everyone was expecting of me. It was a great feeling, but kind of different to other races I have had.”

Having people expect big things from you can be tough, but Butler also knows it’s a compliment that you’ve had a good year.

“I really try to appreciate it for what it was worth and kind of take it as something to be proud of,” Butler said. “It’s not every day that people set those expectations on you. The day of the finals when things aren’t looking your way that’s when it was stressing me instead of exciting me. It’s always good practice, whether running or in the real world, not falling to pressure of that and using it as a motivation. It was a good thing for me, it taught me a lot.

There was one big nervous moment for Butler as she had some pain in her foot before the race started.

“We are not really sure, we think it was just when I was cooling down it got a little colder,” Butler said. “My foot cramped up and never unclamped. I was nervous going in, I was trying to take care of it without overrating it, limping around all day leading up to the race, the biggest race of the season.

“But, my coach, and I don’t know if he was doing this to keep himself sane and keep me sane, he’s like, do you think it’s broken? I said no, ok then seems like you are ready to warm-up and he wouldn’t let me say anything else which was the best thing, because all I would do is make myself nervous.”

In the end Butler’s foot was just fine and after some nerves about the pain early in the race, she was just fine as things got going.

“I was pretty nervous the first lap,” Butler said. “It was still awkward and I think it was showing in my first lap, at least in my head it was. As soon as I settled into lap to I remembered what the mission was at hand and luckily the pain went away. That was lucky to be able to run with that.”

What made the whole weekend even more fun for Butler was being one of two Virginia Tech athletes to win a national title as Rachel Baxter won the pole vault championship the same weekend

“That was really awesome,” Butler said. “I can’t even describe how excited I am for Rachel, she’s been working really hard. She’s had some national meets where maybe she could have won it and maybe it wasn’t her day, what better day to have it than your last indoor meet. It was even better to have her be first and Julia Fixsen third.”

Now that Butler has won a title, she’s ready to try and win more national titles.

“I am so excited, I think it’s really motivating because now you have something more on the line,” Butler said. “I won once, let’s do it again, and again, and again. I think we’ve got other big goals and different kinds of goals. It makes me feel like I’ve got more to go and I think it is only up from here.”

While Butler may be the national champion, she knows things won’t get any easier as she tries to defend the title next year and win outdoor titles as well.

“I think it will be just as hard as this year, honestly,” Butler said. “There are a lot of really great freshmen coming in and a lot of girls in my grad and above me with eligibility. Competition improves so much, I am ready for the challenge and how that may end up playing out.”

Butler ran a 2:01.37 to capture the national title. Going sub-two minutes in the 800 is a goal for Butler, but she also isn’t afraid of trying new things in the future.

“Between breaking two minutes or even kind of trying to expand my horizons and try and go for the 1500,” Butler said. “When I talk to my coach he said I’m going to leave it up to you and what you are most comfortable with. We can still see what else there is for you and I think that takes a lot of pressure off to.”

Being able to run multiple events is never a bad thing in Butler’s mind, especially if she runs professionally one day.

“I think everybody likes an employee with a lot of versatility, everyone wants a girl they can see growing in a lot of events,” Butler said.

Butler would also love to try and run in the World Championships and Olympics one day, and being able to excel in multiple events lets you kind of pick what is the best chance to try and make the team.

“As we saw USA makes some big 800 runners, they make great really great runners in general, it is promising even looking toward summer where they have USA’s and Worlds,” Butler said. “I’m not going to give up an 800 spot easily, but if the 800 is competitive the 1500 is something we can look at to.”

Right now, Butler knows that she will have a bullseye on her back when she runs the 800.

“You want people looking out for you,” Butler said. “It just instills a sense of confidence. When my coach is making race plans for a big meet he’s just telling me run this race your way, but other coaches are saying run this race based on how Lindsey is running it.”

It’s been quite the change for Butler from her freshman year when she was the one trying to learn how to win at the collegiate level.

“It’s definitely a big change, I remember my freshman year, I was trying to figure out how everyone else is running and how I like to race,” Butler said. “Now that I’m older and I get to know these people better it changed the way I race and made me smarter and race a little more confident.”

Butler feels honored to join the list of national champions at Virginia Tech.

“It is so awesome,” Butler said. “I feel like when I was doing my visits I remember hearing about the men’s DMR which had won within the last few years and just thinking everyone is going to remember them. We still talk about that race and those individual accomplishments and we have some Olympians that still come and talk and it feels special my name will sit up there a long time and I can come back and think people have heard of me.”

Butler would love if one day she’s one of those Olympic athletes coming back to talk to the athletes at the school.

“I just love Virginia Tech so much and I love our team,” Butler said. “I know that’s something I would love to do. As a Hokie anyone would tell you they love their school, to have that special tie is so great.”

It’s also special for Butler to become the first Corning runner to win a Division I National title.

“I think whether it was going to be with me or Jess Lawson (who runs for Stanford) or the people who are still in high school who are high school All-Americans right now it was going to happen,” Butler said. “It was a matter of when it feels good to be the first, but some of these kids still in high school will be the next to do it. I’m happy to lead the way, but happier when I see someone else do it.”

Butler hopes that all the Corning athletes see that what they are doing in high school is setting them up for this kind of success in the future.

“I hope it kind of makes them realize that the training they are doing with (Ray) Lawson and (Andrew) Cartwright and (Joe) Melanson is very good and sets you up very well for when you go to college,” Butler said. “It has already been apparent, but if this isn’t a good indicator, I don’t know what is.”

While she just won her national title, it was right back to work for Butler.

“I got one day off and now this week I’m swimming and biking,” Butler said at the end of last week. “I guess I get a week off from actual running, but the season goes by really fast so I’ll be in full swing by next week (this week).”

As excited as she is now, Butler knows that when she has time to fully reflect on what she accomplished she’ll realize just how special it was.

“I think right now I’m in the mindset of that was really fun and now onto the next thing,” Butler said. “But, I think it always hits a little harder when you take your time off and reflect on the year before. It is going to take a little time to realize how big of a goal I just hit for myself.”
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IN TOP PHOTO: Corning grad LIndsey Butler holds her ACC Championship medal . . PHOTOS COURTESY OF VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETICS.