Morgan Burchhardt experienced a lot in her six years at The College of Saint Rose.

There were two appearances in the NCAA Division II women’s soccer tournament Final Four. 

There were also two major knee operations.

Burchhardt wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

The sixth-year senior and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School graduate who had three goals and 14 assists for the Golden Knights last season is one of the three college recipients of the inaugural Capital District Sports Women of the Year, which also honors 10 high school athletes.

“I just think that it’s an amazing honor,” Burchhardt said. “It’s a great way to showcase young women in the area and their accomplishments athletically and academically. It’s just such a great way to recognize The College of Saint Rose women’s soccer program.”

Burchhardt appreciates all she went through, and that drove her to succeed.

“When I started as a freshman in 2014, on the first day of preseason, I gained the respect of the upperclassmen by passing my physical test and producing on the field,” Burchhardt said. “Because of that, they really took me under their wing. I was extremely fortunate for that because that leadership — especially because some of them were national champions [in 2011] — really carried with me throughout my time.”

Burchhardt was named a captain her sophomore year. But then in 2016, she suffered a torn ACL that kept her out the entire season. She tried to return in 2017, but after playing one game, Burchhardt reinjured the knee and had to have another season-ending operation.

There was never a point that she wanted to give up.

“I always wanted to represent Saint Rose on a national stage for soccer, as well as individually,” Burchhardt said. “I always wanted to be an All-American. I saw the honor my freshman year when the upperclassmen were receiving it. I knew I was going to be an All-American at Saint Rose, and I was going to do anything to achieve it. I knew, in order to achieve that, I needed to lead this team as far as I could. Not only was it me leading, it was my co-captain Nina [Predanic] leading. It was a lot of the upperclassmen leading for this past year.

“I knew we could get a team back to the Final Four. It was just a matter of when the parts would come together. It came together my last season.

She returned in 2018. Burchhardt is the only player in the team’s history to record 10 or more assists in four seasons. She’s fourth all-time in career points (114), second all-time assists (52) and tied for 11th all-time in goals (31).

At the end of last season, Burchhardt was a United Soccer Coaches third-team All-America pick.

“Just getting that appreciation and showing the girls what it’s like to get to a Final Four is exactly what I tried to do during my time,” Burchhardt said. “My knee injuries, obviously, took a dominate roll for two years and it did impact the team, obviously, on the field. However, I always tried to keep my leadership there as much as I could on the sidelines during games and practices. My teammates’ support has been amazing throughout my time. I was so fortunate to play with so many different players and the background that they’re from. It’s crazy that a little school in Albany completely widened my eyes to that opportunity.”

One of the community service projects that Burchhardt was involved in and proud of was her work organizing Penny Wars, a fundraiser for the Strength in Numbers non-profit organization.

“It raised over $700 collecting loose change in about a 10-day period for a couple of hours a day,” Burchhardt said. “All that money went back to Strength in Numbers. Blake Snyder’s father, unfortunately, passed away from cancer. It was really nice to give back to another Saint Rose alum and also a soccer player.”

This article appeared in the 2020 CDSWOY Awards Program on August 18, 2020.

MacKenzie Brown’s secret for playing three varsity sports while excelling academically and undertaking internships that will set her on the path to a law career?

“I sacrifice a lot of sleep,” Brown said.

That’s just the way Brown, a senior at Rensselaer High School, likes it.

“It’s been a lot of hard work and time management, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s really what I love to do,” she said. “It’s just an amazing experience to be a three-sport athlete, and it’s honestly an honor.”

A three-sport athlete at Rensselaer in track and field, soccer and basketball, Brown is one of 10 high school honorees for the inaugural Capital District Sports Women of the Year awards, which also sees three college athletes recognized.

It’s on the track where Brown has made her biggest athletic impact, holding three Rensselaer school records — one on her own in the steeplechase, two as part of the 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay teams.

Brown, who said her favorite event is the hurdles, is willing to stretch herself over any distance.

“Each race has its own challenges,” Brown said. “Steeplechase is so hard because it’s a long race with the big barriers, and then there’s the water, but 4×1 is also hard because, even though it’s a shorter race, you put all of your energy into that and you have to get the baton perfectly. You don’t want to be the one that messes that up for the rest of your team.”

The melding of the team and individual is what attracts Brown to track and field the most.

“I can win a race by myself,” she said, “but you have relays and you can also win as an entire team. Personal achievements are good, but the team achievements are the better ones.”

Brown was also a team captain and starter for the Rensselaer soccer team and maintains a 95 average in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society. She’s received numerous awards for her athletic and academic achievements.

Outside of school, Brown is a dedicated volunteer whose community service includes assisting as an organizer for a youth summit through the Troy Drug Free Community Coalition, collecting clothes for Jeans for Teens through Circles of Mercy and volunteering with organizations like the Red Cross Blood Drive, Rensselaer Christmas in the City, Trunk or Treat through RADAR and the Kiwanis Club Community Pancake Breakfast.

“I always like to stay moving, stay doing something,” Brown said. “There’s 24 hours in a day, and if I can volunteer and make someone happy, but also be part of a team, I’d rather do that than anything else.”

Brown also gets immense satisfaction from her internships at Albany Law School and Rensselaer City Court, which she hopes will pave the way for studying criminal justice in college and eventually attending law school herself.

Brown interns in the domestic violence clinic at Albany Law School, getting to both sit in on classes “with actual college kids who are in law school. That’s amazing,” and assist students in the clinic with their casework.

“They don’t treat me like I’m just some high school kid that doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” Brown said. “They realize that I have potential and I have the drive to know where I want to go in life. That has been a great tool to help me get there.”

This article appeared in the 2020 CDSWOY Awards Program on August 18, 2020.

RPI women’s lacrosse senior Liz Brady’s mind was already made up well before the NCAA awarded an additional year of eligibility for all spring sports student-athletes after this year’s campaigns were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Brady missed the 2018 season because of a torn ACL, and she is planning to return to RPI next year as a graduate student.

While her college career has included its share of obstacles, it’s also included numerous accomplishments. The latest is that Brady, who is from Bradford, Massachusetts, is one of the three college recipients of the inaugural Capital District Sports Women of the Year, while 10 area high school athletes are also being honored.

“I’m really grateful for it,” Brady said. “It’s a really cool honor. I know it’s the first time that they’ve had this award. I think it’s really cool to be a part of the inaugural class. It’s one of those things that I didn’t do alone. I honestly had my team and my coaches, all of RPI athletics kind of with me.

“It’s really humbling to get that, but also really cool. I didn’t do it alone. I did it with my team.”

Brady is bio medical engineering major and has a 3.10 grade-point average in that. Her GPA for the fall semester was 3.55. She will go for her MBA next year and looks to go into the medical device and orthopedic field.

“I was actually planning on getting my master’s at RPI, so I will already be there for a fifth year,” Brady said. “I had an extra year because of my torn ACL. That was also in the back of my brain, depending how my body made it through the [2019] season.”

The torn ACL she suffered was the second of her career. The other one happened in high school. Going through the rehab process after the first torn ACL helped her get through the second one.

“The first time I did it, it wasn’t ‘if’ I’m going to come back, it was ‘when,’” Brady said. “The second time when I was there, I was in the same mentality, where like, OK, this kind of sucks and it’s not fun, but now I know what I have to do. I already knew what the road was like, and I recovered well from my first one. I’m just like, ‘All right, it’s not going to get better until I have surgery.’ I just went for it. I went to Boston, had surgery and was rehabbing. I was able to run before the season ended, but was able to be with my team the entire time. They also made a difference because I was still traveling with them and still a part of everything that we did.”

Away from the field and classroom, Brady is part of the RPI sports information department, working as photographer. It’s a relaxing job for her.

“I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures,” Brady said. “I love working with them. The sports information staff is amazing.”

Brady participates in several community activities, too. She is proud of the projects that take place with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“That includes the Special Olympics days,” Brady said. “That’s been one of my favorite events. I have a couple of cousins who are special needs. I grew up going to their Special Olympics events. As I got older, I volunteered at them.”

This article appeared in the 2020 CDSWOY Awards Program on August 18, 2020.

Warrensburg senior Kara Bacon recorded a rare and impressive triple this past school year when she was named an Adirondack League first-team all-star in three sports while maintaining her academic standing as one of the high school’s top students.

“My parents when I was very young said good grades are the way to go,” said the 18-year-old. “As I got older, it became part of me. I can be described in so many ways, but above all I want to be described as intelligent. There’s more to me than athletics.”

Bacon will be attending Le Moyne College to play softball while studying in its six-year physician assistant program. The four-time NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award winner will head that way after graduating third in her class with a 97.5 average, and with a resume that includes George Eastman Young Leader and Innovation and Creativity scholarships.

“Kara embodies all of the characteristics necessary for being a student-athlete,” said Warrensburg athletic director Scott Smith. “She is motivated, dependable, focused, and goal oriented.”

Bacon is a big hit on the softball field, as well, twice earning first-team league all-star status for her superb hitting, base running and work as a catcher. Her twin sister, Warrensburg valedictorian West Point-bound Kailey, handled the pitching duties.

“Kara’s knowledge of the game of softball is astounding,” Warrensburg varsity softball coach Teresa Colvin said of the Section 2 Class C all-star. “Her affinity for game strategy has earned her the respect of her coaches and our softball league. Kara called every pitch of every game that she caught on varsity with much success, and the ability to call the game placed her firmly among the top catchers in the area.”

Bacon is a versatile performer and plays both catcher and outfield with her Glens Falls Titans travel team. She will be a member of Le Moyne’s first Division I team in 2024 after its move up from the Division II level.

“We all had a good idea that they would be going Division I sometime in the next four years. It happened to be this year, and I’m thrilled about that,” said Bacon. “Warrensburg is a pretty small school and the last Division I softball player was a pitcher when my mom was in school.”
Bacon was a member of Warrensburg’s varsity soccer, softball and basketball teams for five, four and three years, respectively. In soccer she was three-times selected a league first-team all-star and twice made the Section 2 Class C all-star team including in 2022 when she was additionally named the Offensive Player of the Year.

“Statistically, it will be very difficult to replace Kara next year,” said Smith, Warrensburg’s varsity soccer and basketball coach and an assistant with its softball team. “She fills up the stat sheet in every sport she plays. What will be even more difficult to replace will be her leadership skills and her ability to make those around her better. She not only leads by example, but she is also a vocal leader with her teammates,”
Bacon served as a team captain in all three of her sports, and is a volunteer official for youngsters who play them..

“If I wasn’t going into the medical field, I would go into coaching,” Bacon said. “I have a passion for sports, and I love to share my knowledge.”
Bacon was a member of Warrensburg’s French and Varsity clubs and has volunteered for Red Cross blood drives and the Honor Society Book Fair. She has been a student ambassador for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Community Halloween Trail.

“I don’t like to sit at home,” said Bacon, who was a 2021 HOBY Leadership recipient and 2020-21 President’s Award winner. “My big thing is if someone asks for help, I’m going to give it. This community has given me so much, and I want to give back.”