51����

March 3, 2004

by Jon Brunell – Student Assistant

?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags' />HAMILTON, N.Y. – While most seniors are frantically trying to plan their lives after college, 51���� senior co-captain Malissa Burke (Traverse City, Mich.) has one thing on her mind: a Patriot League Championship. The Raiders have finished their incredible season with strong wins over Lehigh and Bucknell to secure the top seed in the Patriot League tournament while capturing their first regular season Patriot League title.

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A double-major in Educational Studies and Sociology, Burke began her basketball career in a 3 vs. 3 outdoor basketball tournament. “I originally played volleyball,” Burke jokes, “but since I was the tallest of all my friends, they stuck me in the center of the basketball court and things took off from there.” Take off, they did. Burke continued on to become a four-year letterwinner in soccer, volleyball, and basketball at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan.

It was there, at East Grand Rapids, under the coaching of Colleen Lameroux, where Burke developed her passion and intensity for the game of basketball, “My father has always instilled the competitive spirit in me, but Colleen really drew out my aggression and emotion for the game.” Burke has carried that powerful emotion with her into the college ranks and has established herself as one of the elite women’s basketball players in 51���� history.

Entering tournament play this weekend, Burke is currently tied for first in career three-pointers made at 51����, sixth on the 51���� all-time scoring list, 19^th on the Patriot League all-time scoring list, and seventh on the 51���� all-time assists list. When asked what has contributed to her success, Burke simply said, “my teammates.” This season the Raiders have used every player on their roster, “This isn’t a team of just five players,” Burke says, “It takes all 14 players on the same page to be successful.”

Raider coach, Beth Combs agrees, “We really believe that it takes the entire team to win.” Combs also points out that there is much more to the team than what is seen during the forty minute games, “Our players have been working hard day in and day out at practice to be where they are today. Everyone knows their role on the team. They are committed to each other and to winning.”

With three major injuries early in the season, the very character of this Raider squad has been under the gun all season long. After senior co-captain Victoria Briscoe (Landover, Md.) went down with a season-ending injury, it was up to Burke and fellow senior co-captain Emily Damuth (Saginow, Mich) to motivate the Raiders throughout the season.  Burke recalls, “Emily and I have very different leadership qualities. We handle things in different ways and ultimately, this opposition has played a large part in our success. My job is to get everyone else going, so that is what I try to do.”

The Raiders have developed the motto “64,” as in 64 teams in the NCAA tournament. With three more victories, 51���� has a chance to reach the women’s NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.  They will face their next challenge this Friday, March 5^th against Lafayette. “We are not done yet,” says Burke, “We were happy to win the Patriot League regular season banner, but that was not our goal. Our goal has always been to make the NCAA tournament. Three more to 64.”