St. Aloysius track star Natalie Burke signs to Millsaps

St. Aloysius track and field star Natalie Burke has now officially signed a scholarship to run track for Millsaps College next.

Burke, who has been running since the seventh grade, had a signing ceremony held at the school where she was surrounded by her friends, family, and coaches as they celebrated her success.

Throughout her amazing track career, Burke has participated in the long jump, triple jump, 200 meter run, 4X1, 4X2, and 4X4 relay teams as she was well coached by Michael Fields.

The academic success is of Millsaps is what led Burke to choosing them as her collegiate destination.

“I first looked at them academically and then they mentioned that they wanted me to be on their track team and from that point on I felt like it was the right place for me,”

In order to become successful in track, Burke had to put in a countless number of hours in training which paid off and got her noticed on a higher level.

“In track, training a lot is how you get better, a d one of my favorite sayings is you earn your medals at practice and pick them up at the meet,” Burke said. “Track is just an amazing sport where you are against yourself and you keep getting better on different levels.”

Although Burke put in the hard work to become successful, she thanked those the closest to her for helping her achieve her goals.

Standing: Paul Burke, Michael Fields, Lori Burke; Seated: Natalie Burke (photo by Keith Phillips)

“First, I want to thank God for giving me the ability, confidence, and courage to compete,” Burke said. “I’m thankful for my school coach Michael Fields and my jump coach Derrick Watson. They have both had an impact on my life. My dad has been my biggest cheerleader and backup coach. The rest of my family has been there at every track meet supporting me. Final thanks to my teammates for supporting me and challenging me to be the best I can be.”

Natalie is the daughter of Paul and Lori Burke.

As she will soon be running on the collegiate level, Vicksburg Daily News will continue to keep everyone updated on Burke’s future success.