Emily Budnyk is a six-time NCAA All-American distance runner for the Raiders who thrived with Shippensburg from 1997-99. Budnyk graduated as SU’s record holder at 10,000 meters, with five of her six All-America finishes coming outdoors on the track.
Her five NCAA All-America finishes at outdoor national championships competition are the most of any SU athlete in history.
Budnyk was an outdoor 10,000-meter All-American for three straight years – placing fifth in 1997, fourth in 1998 and second in 1999. She placed second in the 10K at the 1998 PSAC Championships behind Hall of Fame teammate Steph Yingling.
At 5,000 meters, Budnyk was just as impressive. In addition to back-to-back PSAC 5K titles in 1997 and 1998, Budnyk earned All-America honors in 1998 (8th place) and 1999 (5th place) at the NCAA Championships. She also placed fourth at the 1999 PSAC Championships in the 5K.
Overall, Budnyk was a six-time PSAC place-winner who also took third place in the 3K in 1997 and fifth place in the 3K in 1999. Four of her six place-winning performances were in the Top 3.
Indoors, Budnyk placed multiple times at the ECAC Championships. In 1997, Budnyk was the ECAC 5K champion and placed second in the 3K. In 1998, she won the ECAC 3K and 5K titles.
Budnyk also thrived in competition at the Penn Relays. As a freshman in 1997, she knocked two minutes off the school’s 10K record by finishing 10th in 35:41.78. She was the top non-Division I runner in the race and defeated runners from Florida, Georgia Tech, and Penn State. As a sophomore in 1998, she improved to eighth and trimmed 10 seconds off her own school record with a time of 35:31.63. Again she was the top non-Division I runner in the race.
Budnyk’s sixth All-America honor came in the 1998 cross country season. At the national championships, Budnyk placed 13th overall running for first-year head coach Steve Spence while Shippensburg finished third as a team – a place that remains the best national championships performance in school history. Also that season, Budnyk finished second at the PSAC Cross Country Championships and fourth at the NCAA East Regional Championships.
Overall in cross country, Budnyk posted three Top-15 finishes at the PSAC Championships and three Top-40 finishes at the NCAA Championships.
After graduation, Emily married husband, Jerry Putt, and they have four children together, Lainie, Brennon, Sophia, and Kylie. Emily has taught middle school for the last 13 years as well as coached cross country and track at Handley High School in Winchester, Va. She is currently the head coach of Handley High School’s girls cross country team.
