Emmet Cullen

Praises for freshman and multisport athlete Maren Bursek are sung by many as she left quite a positive impact on all she met this year. Bursek played on Buena’s first varsity girls’ flag football team as well as starting on the girls’ varsity water polo team, as a freshman.  

“She’s amazing” girls flag football coach Micheal Gianelli said when describing his freshman flag football star Maren Bursek. 

Bursek’s passion for sports began at a young age when she joined swimming after her mom noticed her natural take for the water. A few years later she joined club water polo and has played it in some form or another since.

“I just quit club [swimming] this year,” Bursek said. 

She was getting too busy as she picked up yet another sport; flag football. 

“I grew up playing football with my brothers,” Bursek said. Her experience on Buena’s flag football team was an incredibly positive one and she can’t wait to see what the next season brings.  As a returning varsity starter and member of the all-league second team, the Bulldogs can’t wait either. 

“Everyone just loved her…I mean we [the flag football team] were working out and we stopped weightlifting just to go see her at the beginning of the game.” Gianelli said. 

Bursek was a great teammate and easily coached making a great impression on all the flag football girls and her water polo teammates as well.

“That’s how Maren is, she is a very good teammate. She is very understanding of everyone’s skill and is good about explaining things and helping the team,”  Bursek’s best friend and fellow water polo player freshmen Rylee Roberts said. 

As Bursek is extremely passionate about sports, she hopes to continue her sports career in college, for either water polo or flag football. As a freshman, she’s not entirely sure at which school yet but has stressed that she just wants it to be along the coast. 

“I think I want to study science,” Bursek said. 

Science is her favorite subject and it’s taught by one of her favorite teachers Mr. Foster. She’s also a member of the German exchange program and even has an exchange student coming to stay with her sometime soon. 

Taking German for her foreign language class was another thing inspired by her brothers and she’s loving it. “I’m really excited to do the exchange part of the program,” Bursek said. 

Bursek has a great future ahead of her and Buena’s lucky to have her as a Bulldog for three more years. 

“I’m very excited to play with her for our next years together,” Roberts said.