May 5, 2005

FAIRFIELD, CT (May 5, 2005) - Sacred Heart University junior Nicolle Rubino (Port Jefferson Station, NY) and sophomore Kerri Burke (Saugus, MA) have been elected team captains of the women's basketball team for the 2005-06 season announced by head coach Ed Swanson Thursday afternoon.

"Nicolle and Kerri epitomize what true leaders posses, tremendous work ethic and excellent communication skills," stated Swanson. "The two of them have shown that they deserved to be chosen by their teammates and the coaching staff not only through how they have played in their careers but also how they have carried themselves in the postseason."

The 2002-04 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, Rubino has been a key piece in the Pioneers continued success each year. Since donning the Red & White, Rubino has started 70 of the 85 games she's has played, leading the Pioneers to a 57-29 record. With 964 career points (11.3 ppg) heading into her senior season, she is closing in on becoming just the 10th player in Sacred Heart history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. She is coming off a junior season where she averaged 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game. She posted career-best totals in rebounds (125 / 4.5 rpg) and assists (102 / 3.6 apg) while also improving her free throw shooting, hitting 87.1% (54-62) from the line. Her 3.64 assists per game ranked her sixth among the NEC leaders while her 54 steals placed her ninth on the conference list. She posted a pair of double-double games this season with a 15 point and 10 rebound effort at Quinnipiac and 13 points and 10 rebounds against Long Island.

"It's always good for a team to get solid leadership from its seniors," commented the head coach. "Nicolle has had a tremendous career here at Sacred Heart and we look forward to her senior season."

Burke is coming off a break-out season where she started all 29 games running the Pioneer offense. The SHU floor general rarely left the court, averaging 36.6 minutes per game while scoring 10.9 points and handing out 4.24 assists per game to lead the Pioneers to the second ranked offense (64.2) in the NEC. Burke finished the year second in the league in assists (4.24 apg) and fifth in steals with 65 (2.24 spg). She was also among the league leaders in scoring (10.8 / 14th), free throw percentage (71.8% / 11th), three-point field goal percentage (34.6% / 7th), three-point field goals made (53 / 5th) and assist/turnover ratio (123 asst/105 to / 5th). She became the first Pioneer since 1996 to eclipse the 100-assist mark in a season with her 123 helpers. She posted career-high numbers in every category this season and had her best game with a six-of-seven shooting night behind the three-point arc on her way to 24 points against Monmouth. She also notched her first double double with 10 points and a career-high 11 assists at Columbia.

"It's a great honor for Kerri to be chosen by her teammates as a captain in her junior year," said Swanson. "We've never had a junior captain in my time here.

# # # #