Taylor Burke has soccer stardom, now looks for 6-foot high jump

Now that she's so close to it, Medina (Ohio) senior Taylor Burke isn't about to let the attainment of one simple number get the best of her. Burke has mastered numbers of various sizes before.

There's the "15" that represents the consecutive shutout streak she attained over a two-year period in 2009 and last fall while playing goalkeeper for the Bees soccer team, with one of those shutouts coming during the 2009 Division I state championship game.

On the flip side is the "3" that is also known as the number of sports in which she has excelled at throughout her prep career. In addition to being named Ohio's Ms. Soccer last fall, she helped her school's girls basketball team capture its first Suburban League championship in more than a decade this winter.

The number "6" is the one which currently has special meaning for Burke.



One of the nation's premier high jumpers the last two years, Burke believes overcoming the 6-foot barrier in the event that she excels in is more than just a best-case-scenario goal.

"I think the closest I've been probably was at (New Balance Indoor) Nationals (on March 11 in New York)," said Burke, who jumped 5-10 3/4 that day to win her second consecutive championship. "I got a good look at 6-0 and that's got my confidence up a little bit. (Jumping 6-0) has been in the back of my mind since my sophomore year. I want to get it out of the way before I get to college."

Burke followed her performance at indoor nationals by finishing second (5-10) at the OATCC state indoor meet behind area rival Maddie Morrow of North Canton Hoover (5-11) on March 19 in Akron.

Thus far during an outdoor season that has been hampered by poor weather, Burke hasn't been challenged. She went 5-8 at the Medina Relays on April 9 and followed by winning April 15 with a jump of 5-8 at the Mansfield Mehock Relays.

Burke, who was seventh as a freshman at the Division I state outdoor meet, believes she's on pace for another strong finish to the spring season after winning the last two state championships. She jumped 5-11 at state last June to break her own Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium record of 5-9 from when she won the 2009 title. Her jump last year is 2 inches off the state-meet record.

"She's not just a great athlete, but she's a terrific kid," said Phil Brewer, who is Medina's high jump coach. "She knew her stuff by the time she got to high school, and obviously when you get to a certain level, you're fighting for centimeters. She's been just short of 6-0 for a couple years and just hasn't quite made it to that level."



She has worked for the last several years with Mike Caza, a former member of the Canadian National track team whose best career jump is 7-5.

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What stands out to Brewer has been Burke's disinterest in specialization, despite her potential to be one of the nation's best if she had focused solely on either soccer or track. As a junior for the Medina soccer team two years ago, Burke led the Bees to a 21-1-2 finish as she posted 12 consecutive shutouts to close the season. That season, Medina gave up just six goals.

Last fall, Burke led the Bees to a 13-3-3 finish. She shut out her first three opponents before finally allowing a goal during a 2-1 victory over eventual state runner-up Pickerington North on Sept. 4. Medina went on to lose in a district semifinal, but Burke was honored as Ms. Soccer by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association as she posted 13 shutouts.

Burke helped the Medina girls basketball team finish with an 18-4 record this winter and that included a run to a district semifinal.

And how has she managed to keep her schedule balanced?

Burke admits that it's a day-to-day activity that involves sitting down monthly — and sometimes weekly — with her mother, Julie, and logging her activities into her phone. If two of her sports have an event being held simultaneously, she usually participates in the sport of that particular season.

After missing the first day of her club soccer team's tournament April 15 because of the track meet in Mansfield, Burke rejoined her soccer team the next day.



"One of the things I think is impressive is that she's a multi-sport athlete," Brewer said. "She's used to the pressure of being a goalie and shooting a big free throw at the end of a game. She hates to lose and she's an intense competitor, but she's the type of kid that's real calm. What makes her truly unique is all of the specialization and that she just really has gone 180 degrees the other way."

Being busy with sports has come naturally for Burke after watching her sister, Lauren, play soccer for three years at Ohio University. She inherited her skill for high-jumping from her mother, who competed in the event when she was in high school.

"I'm kind of used to it," Burke said. "I think I just have a knack for balancing academics and sports. I don't like to sit, and everything I do keeps me busy. It's always exciting."

For Burke, that will be more true than ever before if she finally sees that "6" pop up after one of her jumps this spring.

Jarrod Ulrey covers Central and Northern Ohio for MaxPreps.com. He has covered prep sports for ThisWeekSPORTS.com for 16 years and can be reached at julrey@thisweeknews.com.