Eastern Florida Women’s Cross Country Coach Doug Butler Announces His First Two Signings

cross country program will begin inaugural season in August

Eastern Florida State College women’s cross country coach Doug Butler has announced his first two signings. Rachel Starr, left, is returning to the competition after graduating from Bayside High School in 2020 where she ran four years of both cross country and track. Kenzie Duron, right, is a senior at Melbourne High School and has run two years of cross country and track. (EFSC image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Eastern Florida State College women’s cross country coach Doug Butler has announced his first two signings.

Rachel Starr is returning to the competition after graduating from Bayside High School in 2020 where she ran four years of both cross country and track.

Starr has already earned her AA degree from Eastern Florida State College and will be furthering her education in the Fall.

Starr has run a 5:34 in 1600, a 12:24 in the 3200, and 20:56 in the 5K.

Kenzie Duron is a senior at Melbourne High School and has run two years of cross country and track. She has a 1600 meter time of 6:46 and a 5k time of 23:44.

The women’s cross country program will begin its inaugural season in August.

Eastern Florida State College hired Doug Butler as the school’s first cross country coach in February and will lead both the men’s and women’s cross country teams when they begin their inaugural season in August. Butler was the first-ever two-time inductee into the Space Coast Hall of Fame when he was inducted as a coach in 2020 after being inducted in 2012 for his accomplishments as an elite amateur runner. (EFSC image)

Eastern Florida State College hired Butler as the school’s first cross country coach in February and will lead both the men’s and women’s cross country teams when they begin their inaugural season this Fall.

He will also continue as the head coach of the Satellite High School cross country teams.

Butler was the first-ever two-time inductee into the Space Coast Hall of Fame when he was inducted as a coach in 2020 after being inducted in 2012 for his accomplishments as an elite amateur runner.

“I have been in high school for 22 years now so to see what I can do at the next level is kind of exciting to me,” Butler said.

“The fact that I can do both made my day, that I can stay at Satellite. My son is a soccer player and runner at Satellite and I really didn’t want to leave. It will be a challenge balancing both, but I think it can work both ways because I will get to see the high school talent.”

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Butler has won 24 state championships and been the runner-up 15 times in his high school coaching career at both Holy Trinity and Satellite High.

“It is going to be challenging, I am a little intimidated because Eastern Florida is successful in every sport, Jeff Carr has built a phenomenal coaching staff and they are all competing at the national level year in and year out so I am a little intimidated to meet that challenge and there is a great deal of expectations that I am putting on myself to get to that level rather quickly,” Butler said.

“Going Division I right out of the gate is also very challenging, those programs are very, very good. But I will get the best kids that I can and coach them up. I think we can be fairly competitive.”

Eastern Florida State College has hired Doug Butler as the school’s first cross country coach, who will lead both the men’s and women’s cross country teams when they begin their inaugural season in the Fall of 2022. He will also continue as the head coach of the Satellite High School cross country teams.

For Butler the challenge is also a bit of a homecoming as he ran for then Brevard Community College in the late 1980s, competing in both track and marathon running.

“I ran for coach (Frank) Craig and had a great time and we were very successful, so I get a chance to follow in his footsteps and restart the program and that is exciting to me,” Butler said.

Eastern Florida State College announced the addition of cross country in August and will now have 13 sports beginning in the Fall.

“We are very excited for Doug to join our staff and bring cross country to the Titan Nation,” said Carr, who is Eastern Florida State College Associate Vice President of Athletics.

“His credentials and success speak for itself. He is one of the top cross country coaches in the State, if not the country! We are very excited for him to get started!”

Doug Butler was the first-ever two-time inductee into the Space Coast Hall of Fame when he was inducted as a coach in 2020 after being inducted in 2012 for his accomplishments as an elite amateur runner.
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