FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Keaton Burke, currently in his first year as assistant swimming and diving coach at Fairfield University, earned one of six Jean Freeman Scholarships from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). 

Burke and his five colleagues will receive a grant that pays for registration and lodging at the 2023 CSCAA Convention and Annual Meetings this May in Orlando. The scholarships are named after Jean Freeman, who was the longtime women's swimming coach at the University of Minnesota. The scholarships are given to six individuals whose exceptional contributions have brought recognition to their college or university and whose leadership, integrity, honesty, competitive attitude, and personal graciousness epitomize those characteristics reflected by Coach Freeman.

Burke is in the midst of his first season as an assistant coach at Fairfield University. Before arriving at Fairfield, Burke was an assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame where he helped the Fighting Irish establish nine school standards and send eight student-athletes to the NCAA Championships. He also served as a volunteer assistant with Salisbury University, his alma mater where he graduated in 2019 with a B.A. in Communications.

The Fairfield University swimming and diving teams, under Head Coach Jacy Dyer, will compete at the CSCAA National Invitational this weekend. The Stags come off another successful run at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships where the women's team captured the conference title and the men's team placed fourth overall. The women's team also posted a 4-2 record in dual meet action while the men's team won five of its six dual meets in 2022-23.