JMU’s Kirby Burkholder named CAA Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year

James Madison senior Kirby Burkholder (Bridgewater, Va./Turner Ashby) is the 2014 CAA women’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Colonial Athletic Association announced today.

One student-athlete from each of the CAA’s 21 championship sports is awarded the honor each year.  Nominees must be a starter or important reserve for their team with at least a 3.25 cumulative grade point average, and winners are chosen in a vote by the league’s athletics communications directors.

Burkholder is a senior sport and recreation management major who earned a spot on the President’s List for the fall 2013 semester.  She made the 2014 CAA All-Academic Team, her third straight year on the team, and is a three-time CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award and JMU Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete recipient .

On the court, Burkholder earned the 2014 CAA Player of the Year distinction as well as a spot on the All-CAA First Team.  The Richmond-Times Dispatch tabbed her Virginia’s Player of the Year after she led the Dukes to the CAA’s regular season and tournament titles as well as a first-round victory in the NCAA tournament.

She finished her career with the purple-and-gold ranked fifth all-time in scoring (1,647), third all-time in rebounds (929) and seventh all-time in steals (190).  She set a school record for career free-throw percentage (87.0%) after shooting a league-best 89.3-percent from the charity stripe as a senior.  From beyond the arc this season, she sank the second-most 3-pointers in conference history (110).