Hall of Fame
Few athletes in the history of Towson athletics were more dominant in a sport than Meredith Budner who led the Tigers to glory days in women’s swimming.
From 2008-11 this freestyler from Rockville, Md. was hard to catch. She was undefeated in three Colonial Athletic Association events (500 free, 1650 free and 400 IM) four straight years. For years she continued to hold four of the program’s six freestyle records.
After leading Walter Johnson High School to four straight county championships, she picked Towson to further her career. Once in the water she took off. Meredith was the Tigers’ leading scorer at the CAA Championships all four years. She qualified for 2009, 2010 and 2011 NCAA Championships in 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle, earned a berth in 400-yard individual medley at the 2009 and 2010 NCAA Meets. She also qualified for the 200-yard freestyle at the 2011 NCAA Meet.
Looking back over her career Meredith marked the 2011 NCAA Championships among her most memorable events. She finished second twice. She was touched out by Georgia’s Allison Schmitt, a ten-time Olympic medalist, in the 500-freestyle. After leading most of the way she tired late and was beaten by two seconds in the mile. For those performances, in addition to her All-American accolades, she was named the national Mid-Major Swimmer of the Year.
On the home front, Meredith was selected Towson’s Female Athlete of the Year three straight years. Additionally, she was the Senior Female Career Achievement Award recipient in 2011. She was Towson’s Female Rookie of the Year in 2008.
After graduating from Towson with a major in Mathematical Finance/Actuarial Science and minor in Economics, Meredith gave swimming one more shot before “hanging the suit up to dry.” Despite setting several Israeli National Team records, she barely missed the Olympic qualifying mark.
