Takes Over for McKinnon; Burdick Promoted to Associate Head Coach of XC/Track & Field
Colgate Athletics announced two staff promotions Friday in the cross country and track and field program.
Amber Williams is the new Director of Cross Country and Track and Field, and Luke Burdick is the new Associate Head Coach of Cross Country and Track and Field. Williams succeeds Arthur McKinnon, who announced his retirement last month after 28 years with the Raiders.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Amber will be the next leader of our Cross Country and Track & Field programs,” said Colgate Vice President and Director of Athletics Victoria M. Chun ’91, MA’94. “Amber’s drive to have her student-athletes succeed both in and out of the classroom and her commitment to excellence perfectly align with our core values.
“She possesses an unwavering commitment to providing our student-athletes with an excellent academic and athletic experience and we could not be more excited to welcome her in this new capacity.”
Williams joined the Colgate staff last year and served as the sprints and horizontal jumps coach. Her efforts have helped lay the foundation for a bright future, with the 2016-17 Colgate team roster expected to number in the upper 30s on both the men’s and women’s sides – an all-time high.
“I would like to thank Vicky Chun, Ann-Marie Guglieri, and the rest of the Colgate family for believing in me, for their support, and allowing me this opportunity,” Williams said. “I cannot put into words how excited I am and how honored I feel.
“I am also very excited for Luke and his future as well. He does a tremendous job with the cross country/distance group, and I can’t wait for us to continue our work with these great student-athletes.”
Former Eight-Time MAC Champion
Williams also made a point to thank her predecessor, McKinnon, for giving her the initial opportunity at Colgate.
“He saw something in me and wanted to groom and prepare me for this time right here,” Williams said. “I thank him for everything he has done for me. I have truly grown as a coach.”
Williams arrived at Colgate after a four-year stint as the assistant women’s track and field coach at her alma mater, Ball State. While at BSU, she was responsible for sprinters, hurdlers and horizontal jumpers. She coached her first MAC champion for the Cardinals in the heptathlon in 2012.
A four-year letterwinner for Ball State, Williams was an eight-time MAC Champion over five events: 60-meter hurdles, 100-meter hurdles, 60-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and the 200-meter dash. She was also a three-time MAC MVP.
During her time in Muncie, Williams was an NCAA All-American in the 100-meter hurdles while also holding a world ranking in the short-hurdle event during the 2007-08 season.
Williams took a year off from collegiate action after she qualified for the 2008 Olympic trails. She then competed in the 2008 Indoor USA Championships, placing fourth.
The 2009 graduate received her bachelor’s degree in general studies with a concentration in psychology. She then earned her master’s degree in sports science from the U.S. Sports Academy in 2013.
Continuing Colgate’s Distance Tradition of Excellence
Burdick just completed his eighth season at Colgate, having spent the past seven years as cross country and distance coach. He also handles the duties of recruiting coordinator and helps coach student-athletes in all events.
“I’d like to thank Vicky Chun, Ann-Marie Guglieri, and Taurian Houston for this great opportunity,” Burdick said. “I am energized and eager for this new chapter as Associate Head Coach of Cross Country and Track and Field at Colgate University.
“With All-Americans and national qualifiers like Ray Appenheimer, Xavier de Boissezon and Mike Hanlon, and more recently, Elise DeRoo, Chelsea Burns and Chris Johnson, there has been a long-standing tradition of success in the distance events at Colgate. I humbly hope to foster an atmosphere that allows that tradition of excellence to continue.
“I’m honored to be a mentor for the men and women who compete for Colgate University. They truly are exceptional individuals for their dedication to the sport and their success in the classroom. I am excited to work with so many elite student-athletes in the years to come.”
Burdick’s tenure at Colgate began in 2008 as the recruiting coordinator and sprints/jumps event coach. Since Burdick became Colgate’s distance coach in 2009, Raider distance athletes have qualified for the IC4A meet 31 times and achieved 46 Colgate record board performances, including seven school records.
The cross country program has had six All-East performances and five All-Patriot League finishes, two of which were Patriot League champion performances. In 2010, Burdick guided the Raiders to a fourth-place finish at the Patriot League Cross Country Championship, the team’s highest finish since the initial expansion of the league. In 2011, Burdick coached Chris Johnson to become Colgate’s first Patriot League cross country champion since five-time All-American Ray Appenheimer in 1993. Under Burdick’s guidance, Johnson repeated the feat in 2012 to join a select few in the history of the league to garner back-to-back championship titles.
On the national scene, Burdick has had one NCAA All-Region cross country performer, one NCAA championship cross country qualifier, and two NCAA track national championship qualifiers.
Prior to Colgate, Burdick spent four years as the assistant distance coach at Division III SUNY Plattsburgh. During this time, the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country and track programs produced three regional champions, 18 national qualifiers, and nine All-Americans.
Burdick also competed for Plattsburgh as a student-athlete, captaining both the cross country and track teams. His career highlights include scoring at the SUNYAC Championship and qualifying for ECAC meet in the 10,000-meter run. As an undergraduate at SUNY Cobleskill, Burdick captained the cross country team and earned Academic All-American honors. On the track, he was the Mountain Valley Conference champion in the 5,000-meter run and a Junior College National Championship qualifier in the 10,000-meters.
Burdick is a level II USATF certified coach in the sprints, hurdles, and relays.