2011 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE | MARTA ZIMON
Marta Zimon graduated from Milligan in 2006 with a degree in communications. She was born and raised in Eastern Europe—in Lodz (/wootch/), Poland, and speaks English, Polish, and German.
Her journey as an athlete began in Poland at the age of 13. Initially, running was just something she did for enjoyment with her friends. The first time she competed, she was simply a filling in for a friend who was not able to participate in the 1200 meter relay. After winning several competitions, however, coaches were telling her she should take running more seriously.
And she did. With hard work and determination, Marta placed #1 in her region. She then led her team in several national championships in Poland, as well as in several races in Europe, achieving several top ten places in indoor, outdoor and cross country races.
At a national cross country championship where Zimon took 3rd place, she met a representative from “Amerlink” who knew Milligan coach, Chris Layne. Knowing she could run the 5K in 17.38—significantly faster than anyone else on Milligan’s team—Layne began the hard work of convincing Marta she should move thousands of miles away to run for a small college in Tennessee.
Both scared and excited, Marta arrived at the Knoxville airport in January 2003, and there began her new journey with Milligan. She was the first international female athlete recruited by Coach Layne, a move that proved to be well worth it. In her first semester, Marta won a national championship in the 5,000-meters race, finishing at 17:47.02 and beating the 2nd place contender by only one-hundredth of a second. To-date, she remains the only Milligan athlete to win a national championship.
Following her successful start at Milligan, Marta continued to be a powerhouse for the college’s running program. She was a national qualifier for the NAIA championship in cross-country and track season and played a key role in putting Milligan on the map. Coach Layne said of Marta, “She had a tremendous impact on our young women's program. She delivered the institution’s first-ever national title in any sport and helped carve what is nearly a decade of national success in cross country and track and field. I'm extremely grateful for her hard work on and off the field of play and she'll always maintain a special place in the Buffalo record books.” Since Marta’s arrival on campus, the Lady Buffs have won seven straight Appalachian Athletic Conference titles and have consistently finished among the top 15 teams in the country.
Marta currently resides in Johnson City with her husband, Brandon Butts. She works for Comcast Communications as a direct sales representative, and she and Brandon serve as resource parents for the State of Tennessee.