University of Minnesota Athletics
Butler Making the Most of Her Last Go-Around
4/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
Rikita Butler is having her best season ever.
The Gopher senior broke Minnesota’s 400 meter indoor record at the Big Ten prelims and set a personal record in the 200 meters on the same day. She is running her fastest times in her fifth year at the University of Minnesota, but for Rikita, this season almost didn’t happen.
Butler strongly considered graduating last Spring and not returning to the University this fall.
Participating in track & field has been a journey of ups and downs for the sprinter, and this year wasn’t the first that she considered not running for the Gophers.
“I feel like I’ve convinced her to come back every season, so that’s a typical summer for me and her,” said Minnesota women’s track head coach Matt Bingle. “I’m always telling her that this is a lifelong thing, and you’ve got to be committed to it.”
Butler has made her commitment evident by coming out for her final season and performing above and beyond what she has done in the past.
“It’s always nice when you see your name on the board,” Rikita said, “especially in your senior year, because you’ve put so much work in. It’s just nice to be honored when you did so much work your freshman and sophomore years, and now your senior year you’re stepping up and seeing your name on the board.”
It was Coach Bingle that convinced Rikita to come back to the team this year.
“Because we have such a young team, my coach was always like, “Rikita, I think the team needs you,” and he’s just always had this way of bringing me back every single year,” she said.
“We’re very, very young, and they all look to her for guidance and how to deal with a lot of different issues on and off the track. Seniors are very important for that reason, what they bring to the table and just helping the girls deal with me and deal with life and those type of things,” Bingle said.
Rikita was voted a team captain for the second year in a row by her teammates and coaches. She said that knowing that her teammates are looking to her for leadership makes her work harder in practice and meets. That hard work is yielding exciting results. At this year’s Big Ten Championship prelims, Butler had one of the best track and field days of her career. She broke a school indoor record in the 400 meters and finished third in the race.
“It was really exciting, because I didn’t think I was actually running that fast until I got to the finish line, and I saw my time, and I heard my coach yelling in the background,” she said.
Because of some sleep issues that she has been dealing with, Rikita didn’t do as well in the Big Ten Championships. Coach Bingle is confident that the issue can be resolved, and that Rikita will be ready to go for the outdoor season.
After graduation, Butler will look for a job that combines her business major and youth studies minor. Rikita won’t have the choice to come back to the Gophers next year, but she’ll take with her favorite memories of Big Ten Championships and motivational speeches by the coaches. And what is she most proud of?
“That I actually finished,” she said. “There were times when I wanted to quit and just didn’t want to come back the next year, so that’s something that I’m very proud of, that I actually finished something.”
Rikita’s quiet leadership will be missed by her team.
“She’s done a good job for me, and I appreciate her a lot for what she does for the program,” Coach Bingle said. “You never want to lose those type of women.”
- Written by Alli Johnson, Athletic Communications Assistant
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