Female Spotlight Athlete of the Week Anna Burke
May 22—Name: Anna Burke
School: Richland
Age: 18
Grade: 12
Sport: Softball
Parents: Dicky and Amy Burke, of Richland Township
Athletic achievements: Earned an athletic scholarship to play Division I softball at Wagner College, youth all-American and Select 30 nominee
Coach's quote: "Anna is a very coachable player. She's always trying to better herself and her game play. As a freshman, I knew she was a good player with smart softball IQ, so I let her call her own game and she has been doing great ever since. My best memory of Anna is when she came back from a knee injury and blasted a first-pitch home run at Chestnut Ridge." — Richland softball coach John Ahlborn
Favorite subject: Physiology
Favorite movie: "Napoleon Dynamite"
Favorite book: "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Favorite teacher: Mrs. Smiach, Algebra
Favorite song: "Passionfruit" by Drake
Favorite app on your phone: Snapchat
Outside interests: Church, traveling and working out
If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?: I think I would be a fox since they are adaptable, smart and powerful. They trust their instincts and use their quick-thinking skills to survive and succeed in life.
Favorite athletic team: University of Alabama softball
Athlete most admired: Former UCLA catcher Jen Schroeder
Most influential person on my athletic career: My dad, Dicky
Most impressive athlete competed against: Central Cambria High School and University of Notre Dame softball signee Kami Kamzik
Proudest athletic achievement: Committing to Wagner College to continue playing softball at the Division I level
How I got my start: I started rec ball at V.E. Erickson at the age of 8. From there, I entered into travel ball at 10-under with the Lady Dirtbags and into my succeeding years with my last team Iron Horse Softball. My most recent team, Team Pennsylvania, is how I got my jump on recruiting and have received my athletic scholarship.
To study nursing at Wagner and continue on to grad school and eventually become a nurse anesthetist. — Jake Oswalt
