Kyle Burke rebounds from trying junior season

This time last year, senior Kyle Burke was not sure if any school record was within his reach. 

Now, the middle-distance runner has already broken three school records this year after running 4:05.00 in the mile at the Rutgers Invitational. Matt Kravitz previously set the record when he ran 4:05.69 in 2019.

Burke first broke the 1000 meter record at the Villanova Invitational, running 2:24.61. His second broken record came as a member of the distance medley relay, clocking in at 9:57.69.

Despite Burke’s historic season, he said that he experienced major setbacks after COVID-19 ended his sophomore season. 

“I lost my footing quite a bit,” Burke said. “I just really wasn’t running with much confidence.”

After a disappointing season last year, he decided to get bloodwork done to try and find the underlying cause for his struggles. Burke discovered his iron levels were low.

Burke said it was disappointing to hear about the iron deficiency, but he was hopeful because he finally got a definitive answer on what was wrong and began taking iron supplements in the fall.

Assistant track coach Todd Etters said that Burke provides the blueprint for what it takes to be great.

“Everyone on your team can look at him and go: ‘If I want to be at the highest level I can achieve, I’ve got to do what he does,’” Etters said.

Burke continued his dominance at Rutgers, winning the 800 meter race and coming close to breaking his fourth school record—Burke ran 800 meters in 1:51.44. The current school record is 1:51.32.

Junior Brandston Duffie, another member of the distance medley relay record-breaking team, explained Burke’s impact on the rest of the roster.

“He has this sort of aura around him that people gravitate towards,” Duffie said. “He’s great at workouts, he’s great at practice, he’s awesome at racing and then even outside of that, he’s one of the more approachable guys on our team.”

Duffie said the remnants of COVID-19 have made this season feel different for the entire team.

Duffie said that because of all the competitions that have been canceled due to the pandmeic, no one wants to take any meet for granted.

Burke attributes his success to Etters, who is someone that has motivated him during his time as a Mountain Hawk, going back to his freshman year.

“He sets up the training for me and my teammates in a way that we slowly accumulate our fitness over a four-year time span,” Burke said.

Burke said Etters’ long-term approach to structuring workouts helped him while he was recovering from his difficult spring 2021 season. 

As Burke reflects on his last season as a Mountain Hawk, he said he is in a good position to end his time at Lehigh on a high note.

“At our indoor track, there’s all the records for indoor and outdoor up on the wall,” Burke said. “I get to see that pretty much every day when I practice there, and when I was a freshman, I looked up at that wall and felt like I could get there at some point.”