Butler made himself the early favorite to claim the NEC high jump title that former St. Francis (NY) star Dean Brown has held for the past two years. The first-year Hawk leapt to the top of the NEC performance list by clearing 2.07m (6’ 9.5”) at the Metro Coaches Invitational in New York City. His height made him the top collegiate competitor at the meet and ranked second overall to Adam Bengo who competed unattached. Butler’s league-leading mark qualifies him for the 2011 IC4A Championships and stands one centimeter better than Dean Brown’s winning jump at last year’s NEC title meet. Butler becomes the second different Hawk to win the NEC field award in the season’s first three weeks. Monmouth thrower, and provisional NCAA qualifier, Vincent Elardo captured the season’s first two field honors.