Michaela Burrell, who posted some of the fastest times in Division III over the last two years, has been selected as the winner of the University of Rochester's Merle Spurrier Award for 2020.
 
The award originated in 1961 to give recognition to the senior woman who has made the most outstanding contribution to women's sports by demonstrating such qualities as leadership,
enthusiasm, and service in her four years at the University.
 
Spurrier served in the University's Department of Physical Education for 30 years and rose to the role of Director of the women's program. She oversaw activities in 10 sports. She was inducted into the University's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
 
Burrell (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) won two All-America honors at the 2018-19 NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field National Championship Meet in Boston. She finished in third place in the 60 meter dash and sixth in the 200 meter dash. She became only the fifth Rochester athlete to earn multiple All-America honors at the same meet – and the first to do it since 1989.
 
She was set to compete at the 2020 NCAA meet in Winston-Salem, NC in March before the championship was canceled (the night before competition was scheduled to begin. Her qualifying performances in the 60 meters, 200 meters, and 4x400 meter relay all ranked in the top 10 headed into the meet.
 
Burrell was a 12-time Liberty League champion (60 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, 4x400 meter relay) and a four-time Atlantic Regional champion (the same four events). She was named the Liberty League Women's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2019. She was a seven-time NCAA qualifier from 2018-2020.
 
She holds Rochester school records in five events – 60 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters (indoor), 300 meters, and 4x400 relay (indoors). She is the Liberty League record holder in the 60 meters, 100 meters, and the indoor and outdoor 4x400 relay. She holds the Atlantic Region Championship meet record in the indoor 200 meters and the 4x400 relay.
 
Burrell has accumulated a number of academic awards. She will graduate with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. She has received national All-Academic Honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for three years. She was named to the Liberty League  All-Academic Team for each of those same three years. She was named to the Google Cloud First Team Academic All-District Team for Women's Track & Field/Cross Country in 2019. In September, 2019, she was selected as a Lysle "Spike" Garnish Scholar-Athlete, an award presented to the top 10 members of the senior class.
 
Away from the track, Burrell has been a teaching assistant for four classes/labs in the Department of Biology (since 2017). She is a Peer Advisor in the Department of Biology (2019-present) and a member of the Society of Undergraduate Biology Students. In 2018, she did an independent study at the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory.