University of Minnesota Athletics
Feeling the Burn: Junior Nicki Burnie
10/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Burnie came to the University of Minnesota as a walk-on, but in her junior year as a Golden Gopher, she not only starts, but is a co-captain. The main reason she has been able to climb the ladder and become a stalwart in the Golden Gopher lineup is her tireless work ethic. Burnie is known for running extra sprints after practice and doing whatever possible to give herself an edge. The hard work has paid off as head coach Mikki Denney Wright considers Burnie the team's best "one-on-one defender."
Burnie is the type of athlete who leads by example; she goes the extra mile to inspire her team, and to prove that nobody works harder. An example of this can be seen through a story told by freshman goalkeeper Lindsay Dare.
During one of the grueling August practices that help teams get ready for the upcoming season, the Golden Gophers had a conditioning test that consisted of ten repetitions of intense running. Dare had done nine repetitions and was thinking there was no way to get the tenth one done. Co-captain Burnie, who had already finished the test, came over and ran an extra repetition with Dare, to help the freshman finish the test. Burnie displays a rare talent that not all leaders have, the ability to be the ultimate teammate; something perhaps only a former walk-on can appreciate.
Despite being a co-captain of this year's Golden Gopher soccer team, Burnie remains grounded with a modest attitude about her leadership position. "It wasn't expected, that is for sure," Burnie said. "It took a lot of hard work, but I just do the same things everybody else on the team does. I was honored, but it's a team effort in everything we do."
Leading a team can seem easy when wins pile up like the leaves on the autumn ground, but instead of wins, the 2004 Golden Gophers soccer team has had injuries pile up, leaving them with barely enough players to take the field. Burnie doesn't wallow in the fact that the injury plagued Golden Gophers are not achieving the success they had hoped for. Instead, she looks for the positives in the situations that arise.
"We knew this would be a transition year. Obviously we thought we'd be better off with injuries and what not, but you can't help that. We're still able to come out here and play with a top three team with only nine healthy people. You have to look on the bright side," Burnie stated after a 2-0 loss to Penn State, the third-ranked team in the nation.
Looking forward, Burnie is excited in anticipation for her senior year and what accomplishments the 2005 Golden Gophers can achieve. Another off-season to get healthy and continue learning coach Denny Wright's new system should aid the Golden Gophers in becoming a major competitor in the Big Ten Conference.
"We're going to come back next year as a stronger and healthier team, and everything will be more routine," Burnie said. "I've learned how much hard work can really pay off this season. These coaches push us to be the best we can."
With better luck in the injury department and great leaders like Burnie returning, Golden Gopher soccer fans should expect to see a few more wins piling up when next autumn rolls around.
Story written by Athletic Communications student assistant Dominic Ladd. Ladd welcomes comments at ladd0022@umn.edu
The walk-on athlete, widely considered an enigma of college sports, usually does one of three things during their four years of eligibility: 1) realizes they cannot make it and quits; 2) gives their all on the practice squad or in limited game time; or 3) earns a scholarship and develops into an everyday contributor. Junior Golden Gopher defender Nicki Burnie traveled down path number three, but took it further than anyone could have expected.
Burnie came to the University of Minnesota as a walk-on, but in her junior year as a Golden Gopher, she not only starts, but is a co-captain. The main reason she has been able to climb the ladder and become a stalwart in the Golden Gopher lineup is her tireless work ethic. Burnie is known for running extra sprints after practice and doing whatever possible to give herself an edge. The hard work has paid off as head coach Mikki Denney Wright considers Burnie the team's best "one-on-one defender."
Burnie is the type of athlete who leads by example; she goes the extra mile to inspire her team, and to prove that nobody works harder. An example of this can be seen through a story told by freshman goalkeeper Lindsay Dare.
During one of the grueling August practices that help teams get ready for the upcoming season, the Golden Gophers had a conditioning test that consisted of ten repetitions of intense running. Dare had done nine repetitions and was thinking there was no way to get the tenth one done. Co-captain Burnie, who had already finished the test, came over and ran an extra repetition with Dare, to help the freshman finish the test. Burnie displays a rare talent that not all leaders have, the ability to be the ultimate teammate; something perhaps only a former walk-on can appreciate.
Despite being a co-captain of this year's Golden Gopher soccer team, Burnie remains grounded with a modest attitude about her leadership position. "It wasn't expected, that is for sure," Burnie said. "It took a lot of hard work, but I just do the same things everybody else on the team does. I was honored, but it's a team effort in everything we do."
Leading a team can seem easy when wins pile up like the leaves on the autumn ground, but instead of wins, the 2004 Golden Gophers soccer team has had injuries pile up, leaving them with barely enough players to take the field. Burnie doesn't wallow in the fact that the injury plagued Golden Gophers are not achieving the success they had hoped for. Instead, she looks for the positives in the situations that arise.
"We knew this would be a transition year. Obviously we thought we'd be better off with injuries and what not, but you can't help that. We're still able to come out here and play with a top three team with only nine healthy people. You have to look on the bright side," Burnie stated after a 2-0 loss to Penn State, the third-ranked team in the nation.
Looking forward, Burnie is excited in anticipation for her senior year and what accomplishments the 2005 Golden Gophers can achieve. Another off-season to get healthy and continue learning coach Denny Wright's new system should aid the Golden Gophers in becoming a major competitor in the Big Ten Conference.
"We're going to come back next year as a stronger and healthier team, and everything will be more routine," Burnie said. "I've learned how much hard work can really pay off this season. These coaches push us to be the best we can."
With better luck in the injury department and great leaders like Burnie returning, Golden Gopher soccer fans should expect to see a few more wins piling up when next autumn rolls around.
Story written by Athletic Communications student assistant Dominic Ladd. Ladd welcomes comments at ladd0022@umn.edu
