Jake Hamm

Joining a sports team is an immense commitment, both in terms of time and energy. Yet, a select few manage to find the time to balance sports and academics effortlessly, while still having time left over to pursue other interests. Take for example, Caitlin Burr, a fourth year accounting major from Delhi, N.Y. Burr has become the darling of the Women’s Swim Team, stealing our hearts in the process.

Burr’s praise is not unfounded. Throughout her time at RIT, she has earned the team a string of impressive accolades. During her first season at RIT, Burr quickly made herself known, winning the state title in the 100-yard butterfly and setting three school records. Her work paid off, as she was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Meet at the 2007 Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. Back in her second year, she earned All-Empire 8 honors and broke several of her own records set the previous season.

Despite all these feats, it was really her third season where Burr truly shined. Out of the 54 events she competed in, she finished first 38 different times. During the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in Dallas, Texas., she earned an All-American, RIT’s first participant to do so since 1993.

Burr cites her parents as a key influence in developing her active lifestyle. “My parents tried to keep me as busy as possible,” said Burr. She began swimming when she was roughly five years old. “My mom has been my coach since I was really little,” she said her mom was a local swim instructor. She quickly took to the activity, even at such a young age. “I have all these video tapes of me doing the back flip and the front flip, and I was so good at it,” she said with a laugh.

Burr maintained her heavily active schedule throughout high school, joining basketball and softball in addition to swimming. Eventually her efforts paid off, and she became senior captain of the Delaware Academy High School’s Women’s Swim team.

When it came time to choose a college, Burr was at a crossroads. “It was between RIT and Ithaca, and [my sister Theresa] was here,” she said on her decision to choose RIT. “It was a comfort thing.” Following in Theresa’s footsteps, she also joined the Women’s Swim Team, and the rest was history.

Her favorite match was the 2009 UNYSCSA state championships, where she won of all three of the events she was participating in.

Despite the heavy time commitment required for swimming, Burr somehow manages to find the time to participate in other activities as well. Outside of swimming, she is a member of both the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Next Generation of Accountants (NGA).

Burr is expected to graduate this spring and after RIT, she hopes to attend graduate school for accounting. Eventually, she would like to earn her Certified Public Accountant title. At the moment, however, she’s quite focused on finishing out her final season with a bang. From Feb. 18 to 20, she’ll be at the Empire 8 Championships in Syracuse, N.Y. She hopes that she’ll make a showing at the NCAA Championships in March and feels that with her scores, she’ll make the cut.

As for the remainder of her time at RIT? “I guess staying active is the main thing,” says Burr. “I used to play softball and basketball in high school, and I miss it so much. Once I’m [finished with swimming] I’ll probably try doing a lot more with intramurals.”