What do coaches look for when recruiting players to come play for their program? Do they look for raw talent, for players who are going to help them automatically make an impact on their team? Do they look for someone with leadership experience to get them ready to lead their team? Merrimack head field hockey coach Megan Shea knew exactly what she was looking for when she spoke to Nokomis senior field hockey standout Lauren Burke at her camp this past summer, and that was the complete player Burke had become.
At Nokomis, field hockey has always been a sport the community likes to watch and athletes enjoy playing, but for senior midfielder Lauren Burke, field hockey is the most important thing in her life. Since picking up a field hockey stick at the age of five, Lauren’s love for the game grew, more and more, every day. Hitting the ball back and forth with her mom when she was not old enough to even play yet, Lauren’s passion for the game became very powerful. After eventually attending the Nokomis field hockey camp held every year, Burke was noticed -- despite being just a kid -- by current principal Mary Nadeau. From then, on everyone knew Lauren was going be a huge part of the Nokomis field hockey program.
Middle school was where her career began to take off for the best. Making the team as a 6th grader and taking over the starting job over former 7th grade starters, Lauren took advantage and began to develop her game constantly, leading her team to back-to back quarter final appearances and then winning the championship in 7th grade. In those early moments, Lauren found the power that now motivates her every day in practice. Bringing home the gold and making her teammates more involved are at the core of the type of player -- and person -- she is.
As a freshman, Burke found herself in a tough spot competing for a starting job against five juniors. She forced the coaches to make a tough decision through her hard work and dedication. This shows what athletic director Mark Babin saw in her, “A hard working student athlete who is dedicated (and knows) her hard work will pay off.” That fall, Lauren would find herself in the starting lineup for the first time, and she has never looked back.
"A hard working student athlete who is dedicated (and knows) her hard work will pay off.” -- AD Mark Babin
Today, Lauren is one of the field hockey standouts from class B. Through her time on Black Bear AAU and the Nokomis squad, Lauren has racked up the goals - and achievements - including Black Bear player of the week, Warrior MVP at Merrimack summer camp, rookie team and honorable mentions (freshman and sophomore), and last but not least, KVCC class B All-2nd team.
Although the achievements Lauren has accomplished are amazing, it is the memories of beating undefeated Winslow and scoring the game winning goal that will stick with her. Now in her senior season of field hockey, Lauren is ready to take her talents to the collegiate level. This past summer, Lauren was fortunate enough to go to a camp run by Merrimack where she had the chance to sit down with head coach Megan Shea and talk about her field hockey future. During a lunch at camp, coach Shea and Lauren began to develop a mutual respect for one another. When coach Shea talked with Lauren, three words came out of her mouth that made Lauren knew where she wanted to call home: Shea exclaimed, “We want you!” Lauren did not hesitate in saying yes because, “I felt like I was at home, like this is where I belong. I fell in love with the program and how coach Shea coaches her team,” said Burke.
Next fall, Lauren will be attending Merrimack to continue her college career of playing at the highest level, where Lauren will be joining an already very talented D1 Merrimack team. There, she will be studying in the healthcare administration program, where she plans to study up to four years.
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