LEWISBURG, Pa. --- Running the best time of her career and one of the best in program history, Abigail Butera had a standout day in the 5000m at the Bison Outdoor Classic on Saturday evening.
 
Competing in a field of nearly 100 runners compiled of athletes from across all three NCAA divisions, Butera added another highlight to what has already been an exciting 2025-26 campaign. She posted a new PR with a time of 17:25.22, shattering her previous PR in the event by more than 30 seconds; that was a 17:55.32 set two weeks ago at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational.
 
Butera's time stood out in a handful of ways. Pertinent to the current season, it would have ranked as the fastest time in the 5000m in the PSAC to this point in the season entering this weekend, clocking in at five seconds faster than California (PA)'s Rosalyn Perozzi, who recorded a 17:30.93 at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational.
 
As far as historical context at Clarion, Butera's time puts her at second on the program's all-time performance list, pushing her past Melissa Terwilliger's time of 17:46.4 set in 2003. Butera now trails only Clarion Sports Hall of Famer and five-time All-American Erin Richard, who set a program record of 16:41.4 in the outdoor 5000m in 2007.