Story: Goldey-Beacom Athletics
Bethann Burke, the winningest women’s basketball coach in Goldey-Beacom history who also served as the College’s Senior Woman Administrator and Associate Director of Athletics, has been named the Director of Athletics at the State University of New York Maritime College.
Burke leaves with 127 career victories, six trips to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament, two appearances in the semifinals and a berth in the 2014 ECAC final. She achieved a career-best 17 overall wins and 13 league victories during the 2016-17 campaign to clinch a home game in the CACC quarterfinals.
“I am incredibly excited for Bethann as she embarks on this new chapter of her professional journey,” Director of Athletics Jeremy Benoit said. “Bethann was the longest-tenured member of our GBC Athletics staff and we are all appreciative of the countless contributions she’s made to our department and institution. This is an incredibly positive shift for her as she moves into the AD’s chair and I am confident that she will serve SUNY Maritime well in this capacity.”
“I want to thank Goldey-Beacom College for the support, guidance and opportunities it has given me over the years,” Burke said. “I’ve had the privilege of working alongside dedicated colleagues and coaching remarkable student-athletes. The relationships I’ve built there will always mean a great deal to me and Goldey-Beacom will always hold a special place in my heart.”
The 2024-25 season saw three impressive wins to close the year and clinch a spot in the CACC Tournament. GBC first came up with a thrilling 78-77 overtime win at Georgian Court to avoid elimination, notched a stunning 71-68 victory over No. 20 Holy Family and closed with an 86-64 triumph at Wilmington.
Burke during the 2022-23 campaign reached a huge milestone in becoming the program’s winning coach. She broke the mark previously held by Jen Carleton, who recorded 94 victories.
Four times during Burke’s tenure has seen one of her players picked the College’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year. Tanner Turner-Rush was the nominee in 2018, Amanda McGrogan got the nod in 2020, Sarah Round was the pick in 2023 and Janiya Stevens was chosen in 2024.
Burke’s aforementioned first season with the Lightning was a rousing success. The squad advanced to the ECAC final with victories over Merrimack and CACC-rival Caldwell, closed with a 15-15 record and saw two players picked for all-league honors. The Lightning found their stride toward the end of season, ending with victories in five of their last seven outings.
GBC advanced to the CACC Tournament after closing fourth in the South Division with a 10-9 record.
Her second year saw the Lightning win 13 of their final 23 games and get back to the conference tournament. Highlights from that season included Lexi Bruno becoming the program’s first CACC Rookie of the Year, Lillian Chukwueze winning a bevy of awards en route to reaching over 900 points for her two-year career and GBC rallying from down 17 points in the second half for a stunning win at Philadelphia University.
The 2015-16 campaign witnessed Bruno being picked first team All-CACC as well as the top Division II women’s basketball player in the country under 5’5″ according to Hero Sports. Britani Bryson also made a splash in the post as she was named third team all-league.
The aforementioned 2016-17 edition saw the team notch an eight-game winning streak that fell just one shy of the school record.
A first for the program occurred in 2018 when Bryson became the first player in program history to record 1,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 100 career blocks. Bryson was named third team all-league as a sophomore and second team all-conference her last two seasons.
A member of Coach Mark Miller’s staff at Holy Family University for four years, Burke guided the Tigers to a 108-18 record and four NCAA Tournament appearances. In addition, Holy Family won the 2012 and 2013 CACC championships.
During Burke’s tenure at Holy Family, the squad had 12 players earn All-CACC honors and two were tabbed Division II All-Americas. This included former GBC assistant coach Erin Mann, who was picked honorable mention on the 2013 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II All-America Team.
Prior to joining the Tigers’ staff, Burke spent one year as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania. From 2006-08, she served as the girls’ varsity basketball coach at Council Rock High School South.
A 2006 graduate of Chestnut Hill College, Burke finished her playing career as the second-leading scorer in team history with 1,174 career points. A three-year captain, she helped Chestnut Hill win the 2005 Atlantic Women’s Colleges Conference championship and earn the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education/History from Chestnut Hill in 2006, Burke received a Master’s degree in Education from Cabrini College in 2009.
An interim coach will guide the Lightning during the 2026-27 season with a nationwide search to begin in February.
