Mt. Lebanon grad caps college track career at Brown
Buda caps career
Mark Buda of Mt. Lebanon capped his track career at Brown University with personal-best performances.
During the Ivy League Championships, Buda earned runner-up honors in the javelin. He used his opening throw to toss a personal record of 221-3. He fell short of the title when Harvard’s Brett Henderson three 223-6.
With his showing, Buda qualified for the NCAA Division I Eastern Regionals held at the University of Kentucky. In his second straight regional appearance, Buda placed 17th overall with a toss of 205-8. Buda had entered the competition ranked 25th in the east and 46th in the nation.
Brown, who is currently competing with the Brown team in the United Kingdom, is contemplating continuing his throwing career while training with his new coach, Craig Kinsley. A Brown graduate and NCAA champion, Kinsley competed in the 2012 Olympics.
Buda recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in environmental science. He has been recognized as an academic All-American. To meet the criteria, a student athlete must have compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and participated in any round of the NCAA Division I championships.
Before becoming a four-year letterwinner at Brown, Buda excelled for four years at Mt. Lebanon High School. The 23-year-old son of Cynthia and Chris Buda was a WPIAL runner-up in javelin and placed seventh at the USATF nationals. He earned All-America honors and was The Almanac’s track and field MVP in 2013.