University of Tennessee Athletics
Cierra Burdick Named A Torchbearer
April 07, 2015 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Cierra Burdick, a senior member of the women's basketball team, became the 25th student-athlete in University of Tennessee history and the second Lady Vol hoops standout to be named a Torchbearer.
Burdick, a 6-foot-2 forward from Charlotte, N.C., and a graduate of Butler High School, will be honored along with the other recipients during the Chancellor's Honors Banquet on Wednesday evening. She is the first student-athlete Torchbearer since track & field's Chelsea Knotts in 2012 and follows in the footsteps of 2003 Torchbearer Kara Lawson as women's basketball's second such honoree.
According to the Chancellor's Honors website, The Torchbearer is the highest student honor conferred by the University of Tennessee. Torchbearers are seniors who have served their Alma Mater with overall excellence. It is awarded for academic achievement and outstanding commitment to others, as demonstrated by the student's various activities and significant contributions to the university and the community.
Students chosen for this award embody the Volunteer spirit, displaying initiative and service in the best interest of both the university and their fellow students. Recognition as a Torchbearer reminds all students that those who bear the Torch of Enlightenment shadow themselves to give light to others.
Burdick is wrapping up her degree in communication studies and owns a 3.86 grade point average. She was named a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American this season, is a three-year member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and is a two-time member of the SEC Community Service Team. She made that squad for participating in a variety of good works, including developing a speaker's bureau called DREAM Team, where UT student-athletes she selected talked to area youth about abstaining from alcohol, drugs, tobacco and violence.
After winning a gold medal with USA Basketball at the FIBA 3x3 World Championships and interning with Robin Roberts at ABC's Good Morning America last summer, Burdick enjoyed the finest basketball season of her UT tenure in 2014-15. She averaged career highs of 11.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and a first-team Coaches All-SEC selection. She also made the NCAA Spokane Regional and SEC All-Tournament Teams.
During her four-year career at UT, Burdick helped Tennessee forge a 113-29 record, including 54-10 in SEC play. On her watch, the Lady Vols won two SEC regular season titles (2013, 2015) and two SEC Tournament crowns (2012, 2014) and carded three Elite Eight finishes and one Sweet 16 effort in NCAA Tournament play.
"This award just sums up everything about Cierra," UT head coach Holly Warlick said. "When you look beyond the basketball court, you can see what unbelievable qualities she has and the commitment she has made to the University of Tennessee and this community to try to make it better for others.
"Most people only see Cierra as the terrific basketball player, but she is so much more than that, as evidenced by her academic excellence, her abundance of community service, the internships she has pursued and by representing her country with USA Basketball. In everything she does, she works extremely hard and pursues excellence.
"Her ability to balance so many things and do them all well demonstrates her maturity, a can-do attitude and a desire to make the most out of every single day. I am so proud to see her earn this recognition and am grateful for what she means to our program and university."
UT ATHLETES WHO EARNED THE TORCHBEARER AWARD
1931 Morton Derryberry, Football; Bobby Dodd, Football; Buddy Hackman, Football; Charles Lucas, Basketball
1933 Malcolm Aitken, Football
1934 Deke Brackett, Football
1935 Louis Pounders, Football/Track & Field; Murray Warmath, Football
1936 Harry Anderson, Basketball/Track & Field
1937 Dewitt Weaver, Football
1939 Byrl Logan, Basketball; Bob Woodruff, Football
1940 Sam Bartholomew, Football; Searle Gillespie, Sr., Tennis
1941 Frank Thomas, Jr., Basketball
1953 Carl Langschmidt, Jr., Basketball
1957 Charles Phillip Rader, Football
1958 Bill Johnson, Football
1960 McCoy Franklin, Football
1968 Bob Johnson, Football
1992 Catherine Byrne, Swimming & Diving
2003 Kara Lawson, Basketball
2007 Ashley Yeager, Swimming & Diving
2012 Chelsea Knotts, Track & Field
2015 Cierra Burdick, Basketball
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