Westmont Hilltop pair sign with PSAC colleges for soccer, track and field

May 27—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A pair of Westmont Hilltop Junior-Senior High School seniors signed national letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) institutions on Thursday.

Ian Buday is slated to join the California (Pa.) track and field team, and Sabrina Zimmerman will play soccer at Millersville.

For Buday, blending a rare academic field with the chance to compete on the California track and field squad was a perfect match.

"I really liked their campus up there to start with," Buday said. "Second, my degree I want to pursue is where I can major in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) to be a STEM teacher. That's one of the very few schools in the state that have that opportunity for me to do that. With that, I was able to do track and it kind of came together."

Buday will likely participate in the long and triple jumps at California.

The Vulcans are led by coach Daniel Caulfield.

Getting a chance to compete in college was always Buday's goal.

"I always wanted to do something in college, some kind of sport just to keep me involved," Buday said. "Keep doing something for another four years of my life. I started getting interested in track a lot during my 10th-grade year."

Buday was also a member of the basketball, golf and soccer teams at Westmont Hilltop. He helped the Hilltoppers win 2018 and 2020 District 6 soccer titles.

Buday was selected to play in the 2021 Santa Fund Soccer Classic and was an all-Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference pick.

Buday thanked the coaching staff at Westmont Hilltop for helping him advance to the college level.

"Our jumping coach, Mr. (Brad) King, he was very helpful throughout my four years I've done track," Buday said.

"He's really nice. He would always show up and help me out the best he could. Mr. (Pat) Barron, too, would always try to motivate us the best he possibly could."

Buday is the son of Mike and Kathy Buday.

Zimmerman was a stalwart in goal at Westmont Hilltop. She helped the Hilltoppers advance to the 2020 district title game and earned a spot on the 2021 Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association all-state team.

Zimmerman, who was selected to play in the 2021 Santa Fund Soccer Classic and was an all-LHAC pick as a senior, found the ideal fit at Millersville.

"I chose Millersville because they offer the OSEH program that I'm interested in, which is Occupational Safety & Environmental Health," Zimmerman said. "I spoke to the coach and he wanted to know if I wanted to play. I was like, 'Why not?' "

Zimmerman, who posted a 12-3 record with a 0.53 goals against average in 2021, was a key cog in Westmont Hilltop posting 11 shutouts in 2021. She is elated to continue playing soccer in college.

"Since I was younger, I just always wanted to play (in college)," Zimmerman said. "My coaches, parents and teammates pushed me to continue to be better, so I can have the opportunity to play at the next level."

Zimmerman will join a Millersville program that went 9-7-4 in 2021. The Marauders are led by coach Matt Procopio.

She enjoys the burden which comes with being the last defender on the pitch.

"As a goalkeeper, you just love to compete," Zimmerman said. "People know when you make a mistake and it's a goal. You always compete so you don't have that goal against you. Your teammates, anytime anything happens, they're always there."

After making 272 saves and producing a 0.94 goals against average over her final three seasons, Zimmerman was a also a member of the basketball, football and track and field teams at Westmont Hilltop.

She enjoyed her visit at Millersville.

"I met a couple of my teammates and they were super-chill," Zimmerman said.

"They seemed really friendly. I got along with them. I met the coach, he was really nice.

"I just liked the university and where it was at, the location. It felt like the right place."

Zimmerman is the daughter of David and Melinda Zimmerman.

Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.