STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Fourteen years ago, Leah Burden attended the ceremony as her father was enshrined in the Rita and Kurt Eppenstein Athletics Hall of Fame at Stony Brook.

Now, she also is a Seawolf.

A sophomore on the Stony Brook women's basketball team, Leah had been attending football and basketball games with her family on campus for as long as she can recall.

"It was always in the back of my head that this is where I'd want to go," said Leah, a two-time basketball all-state selection at Carle Place High School in Nassau County.

Her father Bob starred on the football and baseball teams of the late 1980s. And her mother Ann Marie competed on the cross country team as well as in club gymnastics after transferring to Stony Brook from St. John's.

"We're very honored to have Leah follow in our footsteps," Bob said. "We are so proud of her. We know she made the right decision in choosing Stony Brook for its academic excellence and exceptional athletic programs."

Leah, a 5-foot-7 guard, made her collegiate debut last season at Hofstra on Nov. 13. She appeared in five games in 2019-20 as the Seawolves produced a program-record 28 wins.

That continued the winning ways she enjoyed at Carle Place. Her high school team earned Class B county titles all five years she played on varsity. The Horned Frogs also won three Long Island championships and earned two state tournament berths.

Leah suggested the decision to attend Stony Brook, where she is majoring in health science with an eye toward a nursing career, was independent of her parents' ties to the school. But she could not help but be swayed by the visits to sporting events with her three sisters while growing up.

Bob isn't exactly shy about his pride for his alma mater, either.

"He is not quiet about it. He loves talking about it all the time," Leah said. "We call him, 'The HOFer' — the Hall of Famer. He loves it. He's very proud of everything he did."

Bob's collegiate accomplishments include being a Pizza Hut All-American third-team and Liberty Football Conference first-team selection as a senior in 1989 in football. He still ranks second in career field goals in program history. He also was team MVP. He graduated in 1990.

He fondly recalls the football team defeating nationally ranked Fordham, 3-0, during his junior year.

"No one except the guys on the team and our coaches thought we had a chance, but we physically manhandled them," Bob recalled. "I believe they didn't even cross the 50-yard line. There's nothing better in sports than when you're shaking hands with an opponent after a game and they have no idea what just hit them. It's a very proud moment."

Bob's favorite Stony Brook story, however, may be meeting Leah's mother on campus.

"The cross country team would run around the track that circled the football field where we practiced," Bob said. "She would catch my eye as she warmed up and sometimes see me staring at her, which was a little embarrassing. A few weeks into the season I worked up enough courage to finally ask her out. Four kids and 32 years later, she's still catching my eye.

"Also, as college kids often do, we made an impulse decision to adopt a dog together during our senior year. I lived off campus so it made perfect sense — not really. Let's just say, with nowhere else to go, my sister was the proud new owner of a 1-year-old puppy."