Kaitlyn Burke

Honors and Awards

• Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Winner (2012)
• Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Candidate (1 of 30, 2012)
• Nebraska Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President (2011-12)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2012)
• Two-Time First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2009, 2011)
• No. 2 on Nebraska Career Games Played List (134)
• No. 9 on Nebraska Career Three-Point List (110)
• No. 16 on Nebraska Career Assist List (285)
• No. 2 on Nebraska Freshman Three-Point List (33, 2008)
• Team Leader with 78 Assists as Freshman (2008)
• Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 17, 2007)
• Nebraska's Husker Award (2009)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2012)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2011; Spring 2012)
• Seven-Time Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll (Fall 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010; Spring 2008, 2009, 2010)
• Canadian Junior National Team (2006, 2007)
• Canadian Cadet National Team (2005)
• MVP of Canadian Under-17 National Championships (2006)
• Canadian National Elite Development Academy (2006)
• Captain of British Columbia Provincial Team (2003-06)
• Nike All-Canada Camp Participant (2003-06)

Senior (2011-12)
A tremendous senior leader, Kaitlyn Burke helped the Huskers to the 2012 NCAA Tournament by averaging 6.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while starting all 33 games in her fifth season at Nebraska. Burke, who ranks ninth at NU in career three-pointers made with 110, finished her career second in games played with 134.

One of 30 candidates nationally for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, Burke was Nebraska's inaugural winner of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for women's basketball. The President of Nebraska's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Burke was also one of six Huskers to claim academic All-Big Ten honors in 2011-12.

She produced the best effort of her career with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists in Nebraska's 77-62 Big Ten semifinal win over No. 14 Ohio State. Burke, who averaged 9.0 points per game in the tournament, tied career bests by going 8-for-15 from the field against the Buckeyes.

Burke surpassed her previous season best of 14 points to go along with a career-best-tying seven rebounds in a career-high 46 minutes in NU's 93-89 3OT win at No. 15 Purdue Feb. 2. Burke, who scored 10 in the first half, added her final point at the free throw line with eight seconds left to seal the victory.

She produced double figures for the seventh time as a senior by leading the Huskers with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Kansas in Little Rock, Ark., on March 18. Burke added four assists, a rebound and a steal against KU.

She had 13 points at Michigan State Feb. 23, following an 11-point effort in NU's win over Wisconsin Feb. 19. She added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists against Vermont Dec. 18. She had 10 points and five boards against Creighton Dec. 8. She had a season-high six assists to go along with six rebounds and a three-pointer in NU's win at No. 16 Penn State Dec. 30. She had a season-high three steals to go along with five assists in a double-overtime win at Northern Arizona Dec. 10.

"Kaitlyn brings maturity and intensity to our team every day in practice," Nebraska Coach Connie Yori said. "She is a very good passer and shooter and has a good feel for the game. More than that, Kaitlyn is an outstanding person and a leader for us on and off the court."

Junior (2010-11)
Burke played through foot and knee injuries and a broken nose to average 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a team-best 1.6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. After being granted a medical redshirt with a foot injury in 2009-10, Burke underwent knee surgery on Oct. 4. She also suffered a broken nose in practice on Jan. 10.

Burke played in all 31 games with 29 starts, including 27 straight before stepping out of the lineup for Dominique Kelley on Senior Night. Burke had a career-high 20 points while adding four assists in an overtime win over Kansas on Jan. 16, when she hit four three-pointers.

She produced double figures eight times, including four in Big 12 play. She had 12 points at Oklahoma State on Feb. 12, when she tied her career high with seven rebounds. Burke added 12 points at Colorado on Feb. 6, and 11 points against No. 23 Iowa State on Jan. 26.

Burke hit 32 threes as a junior. She was slowed early in the season following knee surgery, but came off the bench to score 12 points in the season opener against Vermont. She added double figures in back-to-back non-conference victories at Washington State on Nov. 22 and at home against Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 26, scoring 10 points in each contest. Burke added 11 points against South Florida on Dec. 30.

Burke ranked second among the Huskers with 79 assists, including a season-best seven assists in the season-opening win over Vermont on Nov. 13. She also tied for second on the team with 24 steals, including a career-best four against UNLV on Nov. 30. She hit 85.7 percent (12-14) of her free throws on the season, while ranking second on the team with 31.1 minutes per game. She played the full 40 minutes at No. 5 Texas A&M on March 5, and against Kansas State on Feb. 19. She also played 40 minutes in an overtime win over Kansas on Jan. 16.

Medical Redshirt (2009-10)
Burke battled injuries and appeared in only six contests. She underwent foot surgery in September, which knocked her out for much of preseason practice. She returned to open the season with seven points in 13 minutes off the bench in NU's win over Davidson on Nov. 13. She also saw action at UNLV and against Idaho State, but suffered an ankle sprain in practice before the Washington State game on Nov. 22. She missed NU's next seven games with the injury, before coming off the bench in a 14-point win over No. 5 LSU on Dec. 20. She added an assist and a rebound in four minutes against Albany, before playing one minute at Vermont on Jan. 4.

For the season, Burke averaged 1.2 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. She hit 2-of-7 shots from the field, including 1-of-5 three-pointers. She was also a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Sophomore (2008-09)
Burke moved into a part-time starting role in the Husker backcourt as a sophomore. She started 19 of 31 games, helping the Huskers to the second round of the Postseason WNIT. She averaged 4.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She played 21 minutes per contest and hit 23-of-70 threes (32.9 percent). She added 16 steals on the year. She hit 13-of-33 three-point attempts (39.4 percent) over the final 19 games.

Burke started the first eight games despite suffering a broken and dislocated finger on her shooting hand in the opening minutes of the third game of the season against Southern Utah on Nov. 22. In NU's first two games, she buried 6-of-13 threes, before going 0-for-5 against the Thunderbirds. Playing with a metal splint and tape on her hand, she hit just 4-of-24 threes during a 10-game stretch starting with the SUU game.

Burke came off the bench for an eight-game stretch (Dec. 9-Jan. 17). She then started 11 straight before giving way to senior Tay Hester on Senior Night against Colorado on March 3. Burke came off the bench the final four games of the year.

Burke scored in double figures three times, including a season-high 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field at Missouri on Jan. 17. She opened the year with 12 points, three rebounds, four assists and a season-high three steals in a win over Weber State in her first career start on Nov. 14. She added 12 points, three rebounds and three more steals in a win over No. 24 Arizona State on Dec. 28. Against the Sun Devils, who went on to the NCAA Elite Eight, Burke hit 2-of-3 three-pointers and 4-of-7 shots from the field.

She dished out a career-high eight assists in NU's win over Long Beach State on Dec. 12, while matching her season-best with four boards against the 49ers. She also had four rebounds in a win over Oral Roberts on Dec. 2.

Freshman (2007-08)
Burke led NU in both assists (78) and three-pointers made (33), while averaging 5.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. She ranked 11th among Big 12 freshmen in scoring, second in assists and fifth in three-pointers made. She had a season-high 15 points and a season-high seven assists to lead Nebraska to a road win over Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 13.

Her effort against the Roadrunners included a career-best 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range. She added 14 points, a career-high seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in a win over Long Beach State on Dec. 15. She earned Big 12 Rookie-of-the-Week honors Dec. 17.

Burke opened her career with 13 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from long range and a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the free throw line in NU's win over Conference USA champion UTEP on Nov. 9. The Miners went on to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Burke played a major role in Nebraska's 82-72 win over Iowa State in Ames on Jan. 19, striking for 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from three-point range, while adding six assists. Her effort helped the Huskers to their first win over ISU at Hilton Coliseum in a decade. Iowa State went on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Burke finished the season with four double-figure scoring efforts, while connecting on two or more three-pointers in a game on eight occasions. She scored in 28 games and saw action in all 33 contests off the bench. Burke had nine points and four assists against Kansas State on Jan. 30, and she pumped in nine points against Ole Miss on Nov. 11.

Burke scored six points on 2-for-2 shooting from three-point range against Kansas on March 11, before notching five points and an assist at top-seeded Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 25.

High School
The most decorated player in Nebraska's 2007-08 freshman class, Burke became the second Canadian to play basketball at Nebraska following forward Chelsea Aubry (2004-07). Burke spent several years in the Canadian National Team program and was one of the first players to attend Canada's National Elite Development Academy in Hamilton, Ontario.

Burke spent the 2006-07 season training at the academy, expanding her international experience with a competitive schedule that included trips to Belgium and France. She also played for the Canadian Under-19 National Team at the FIBA Women's World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, in July and August of 2007.

In five games at the U19 championships, Burke averaged 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Canadians. She also connected on 6-of-17 three-pointers, including three in a loss to Brazil.

The most valuable player of the Canadian Under-17 National Championships in 2006, she helped Team Canada to a second-place finish at the 2006 World Championship qualifier. She was also a member of the 2005 Canadian Cadet National Team that participated in the USA Youth Festival.

Burke played high school basketball for Argyle Secondary School in North Vancouver, British Columbia, before attending the National Elite Development Academy in 2006. She led Argyle to North Shore titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2005.

Burke averaged 18 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and five steals per game in high school. She was voted the Argyle athlete of the year in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and earned first-team All-North Shore Conference honors all four years. Along with her commitments to the Canadian National Team, Burke played club ball for Team Basketball B.C. for Coach Shaun McGuinness.

An outstanding all-around athlete, Burke also ran cross country at Argyle from 2001 through 2005, helping the team to provincial championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004. She was also a member of the track team from 2003 through 2005, competing in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000-meter events. She also played volleyball at Argyle, and as a youngster played soccer and softball.

Other Information
Before producing an impressive list of athletic and academic accomplishments, Burke was an actress in feature films. She was the star of Questar's Bear with Me (2000) and Ms. Bear (1997). She appeared in Disney's Life-Size starring Tyra Banks and Lindsay Lohan (2000), A Song from the Heart (1999) and National Lampoon's Dad's Week Off starring Henry Winkler (1997). Burke also appeared in the television series Millennium from X-Files creator Chris Carter in 1998 and 1999.

Personal
The daughter of Denise Burke and Terry Burke, Kaitlyn was born Aug. 30, 1989, in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has two sisters, Ashley, 28, and Chantelle, 26, and a brother, Sean, 24. Ashley played basketball at Gonzaga, and Sean played basketball for Simon Fraser.

An advertising and business administration major at Nebraska, Kaitlyn earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May of 2012. She was an academic All-Big Ten selection in 2012, and a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 pick (2009, 2011). A Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2012, Burke was also a seven-time member of the Big 12 Honor Roll, and a two-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll.

Five Facts About Kaitlyn

1. Kaitlyn is President of Nebraska's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
2. Kaitlyn started a student-run advertising agency on the Nebraska campus with a few other students.
3. A childhood actress, Kaitlyn starred in Questar films "Bear with Me" and "Ms. Bear," interacting with a grizzly bear throughout the films.
4. Kaitlyn's brother and sister also played college basketball.
5. Kaitlyn is the coach of a Special Olympics basketball team.

Burke's Career Statistics