“Having them around helps me stay focused but also relaxed,” Colleen said. As time has passed, Colleen’s comfort with the team has extended to her classmates as well.

“Colleen came in and became good friends with the freshman, and of course she knew a lot of the upperclassmen already,” Miller said. “Through Marina a lot of the juniors and seniors have been able to get closer to the freshmen, almost like older sisters themselves.”

Because the squad has been very young over the past two years, with only four seniors graduating during this period, most of the upperclassmen have known each other for a long time. There’s a level of familiarity among those players that has taken years to develop.

Luckily for the freshmen, one of their own has been around the team for just as long to find that familiarity herself.

“The relationship between Colleen and Marina is really cool to see,” said Nicole Baiocco, another freshman on the team. “It works great for them, and it works even better for the team.”

With two seasons to play together for Harvard, the Burkes are eager to see what they can write in yet another chapter of their partnership. The two will be working together to hold down the defense for the Crimson this year as the squad pushes for a high finish in the Ivy League.

In the meantime, they will be looking to do what they always have: play, relax, and improve side by side.

–Staff writer George Hu can be reached at yianshenhu@college.harvard.edu.