RILEY BURNS NO. 5
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK
ATTACKER
Q: Why did you choose Virginia Tech?
Burns: It's funny, I looked at a lot of schools and I didn't know what I really wanted. I came here my sophomore year of high school pretty much just clueless. Burker, the coach at the time, I liked her a lot but it was more about the team. I got to go to a football game that night and the energy of Enter Sandman and everything stuck in my mind. I would go on different visits after that but nothing was the same. When I was finally done, I was like 'That's where I want to be.'
Q: What was your favorite thing about your visit?
Burns: Definitely Enter Sandman, hands down.
Q: What do you like about Coach Sung and the lacrosse program?
Burns: I was honestly surprised when the Coach Burker got let go when I was still committed & I got a call from him. He was super nice but there was only four of us at the time committed and two left after that, but I was like 'You know what I'm going to stick it out' and the team ended up doing really well that spring and I was like 'Holy cow he's really going to change the entire program.' My decision to stay here was definitely for the best. I don't regret it at all.
Q: What are some of your strengths on the field?
Burns: I like to dodge. I get critiqued a lot in practice by the coaches but I've always been a dodger. I like to look to feed. I like being a team player.
Q: Who is your favorite professional lacrosse player?
Burns: I'd probably say Marie McCool who just graduated from UNC. I remember watching her her freshman year and she was hands down one of the best players on the field. She was just an overall good athlete and then they moved her to midfield and she took the draw. She played defense. She just did everything for the team and I thought that was cool.
Q: What is your most memorable lacrosse moment and why?
Burns: My high school team was never really that good and then we got a new coach and over the years we just started to get better and better. My senior year we were down six or seven goals in our sectional championship game and we came back and ended winning by seven or eight. The energy that game, everything about it and getting the trophy at the end was great. It was just an amazing game. It was cool to see how we came back like that because we were a mess.
Q: What interests you about studying marketing?
Burns: I always had my eye on business. My dad's a stockbroker, a financial advisor so it's always been in the back of my mind. I'm not sure why I took the marketing route. I'm still a freshman so we'll see how that goes, but I'm liking all of my core classes so we'll see how it goes.
Q: What's one thing you'd want Virginia Tech fans to know about you?
Burns: Lacrosse has always been in my blood. My dad was a three-time All-American at Syracuse University. My older brother plays. My cousin plays at UMass. My other cousin played at Harvard. It's just in my genes, so coming here to play lacrosse is hands down what I wanted to do.
Q: What has been your favorite part about Virginia Tech so far?
Burns: Getting to know the team. I always followed them on social media, but actually getting to meet them and play with them and learn from them has been a really cool experience.
Q: Do you have any nicknames?
Burns: At home it was always Burnsie. I've always been on the team with another Riley including here. There's another Riley coming next year too.
Q: If you couldn't play college lacrosse, what other team would you try out for?
Burns: I really liked volleyball when I was younger. I might go for like the club team or something like that. I can play libero. I'm still short so probably that or soccer.
Q: Do you have any pregame superstitions?
Burns: I just like pump up music in general. Definitely inspiring music. That sounds weird but it's true. If I listen to inspiring music it just gets me pumped.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
Burns: One Tree Hill. We're obsessed.
