In college, she played NCAA Division I basketball for James Madison Dukes as one of the best shooting and rebounding guards in the nation, winning numerous awards, including Conference Player of the Year.
Playing as a guard for Orvieto, through the first 20 rounds of the 2014–15 season, she has led her team in points and rebounds.
[1][2][3] Kirby Burkholder, during the 2013–14 NCAA Women's Basketball season, finished among the top 7 guards in the nation for the average number of rebounds a game (she grabbed 303 in her Senior season),[4] and among the top 100 players (including centers and forwards) in the nation with 8.7 Rebounds per game.
[5] In the 2014 NCAA women's basketball tournament, Kirby Burkholder scored 28 points and secured 18 rebounds against top 35 rebounding[8] team Gonzaga[9] as JMU beat Gonzaga and advanced in the 2014 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
[13] In 2014, Conference tournament play, while competing against Drexel, Kirby earned a double-double which included 22 rebounds and 3 steals.