2015-16: Senior captain ... Fastest Wildcat swimmer in the 100 breast and second-fastest in the 200 breast ... Qualified for Olympic Trials in the 100 breast ... Swam in the finals in the 100 and 200 breast at the Big Ten Championships (2/18-20) ... Finished in 20th and 19th place, respectively ... Also picked up a pair of 'B' qualifications in each event ... Part of the NU relay in the 400 medley relay that swam a time of 3:38.45, second-best in school history ... Swam a career-best time of 2:14.47 in the finals of the 200 breast ... Finished in 1:05.67 in the 100 breast at Notre Dame (1/16), coming in fifth place ... Swam an NU season-best time of 2:16.54 in the 200 breast at the TYR Invitational (11/20-22) ... Dropped six tenths of a second from her prelim time in the 50 breast to earn a third-place finish in the TYR ... Part of quartet that set a Norris Aquatics Center pool record in the 400 medley relay (3:41.92) ... Set season-bests in both the 100 breast (1:04.52) and 200 breast (2:19.54) versus Wisconsin (11/14) ... Put on a performance that was remarkably similar to the week before, placing first in the 100 breast (1:04.99) and second in the 200 breast (2:21.65) at Illinois (10/30) ... Was one of four NU swimmers to finish in first place in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:45.05, breaking a pool record ... Took home first and second place in the 100 breast (1:04.84) and 200 breast (2:22.16), respectively, at the Chicago Quad (10/24) ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2014-15: Northwestern's top breaststroker … Team captain ... Ranked first on the Wildcats' top times list in both the 100 and 200 breast events while swimming the breast leg on both of NU's top medley relays … Broke the Norris Aquatics Center pool record with the 400 medley relay in the fall … Broke the Northwestern school record with the 200 medley relay at the Big Ten Championships … Earned bonus final swims in both breaststroke races at the B1G meet, placing 23rd in the 100 and 24th in the 200 after swimming a season-best 2:16.26 during the prelims of that race … Also swam in the 50 free (94th) at the conference meet … Finished second in the 100 breast at Northwestern's home TYR Invitational (11/21-11/23) with an NCAA 'B' provisional qualifying time of 1:02.40 … Also had a second-place TYR finish in the 50 breast and a sixth-place result in the 200 breast, where she swam a season-best 2:16.46 in her preliminary heat … Swam both breaststrokes at the AT&T U.S. Winter Nationals (12/3-12/6), placing 36th in the 100 breast and 44th in the 200 breast at the short course yards national championship meet … Won the 100 breast and finished second in the 200 during a season-opening dual-meet win against Illinois (10/17) … Captured the 200 breast on Senior Night against Milwaukee (1/16) … In all, had 12 top-three dual-meet race finishes including her two wins and five second-place results.
2013-14: Academic All-Big Ten ... Named team's Most Improved Swimmer ... Broke out at Big Ten Championships, swimming four 'B'Â cut times ... Reached scoring consolation final for NU at Big Ten Championships in 100 breast and 200 breast ... Led NU with the 'Cats' fastest times in the 100 breast and 200 breast ... Swam on NU's top 200 medley and 400 medley relay team ... Set career best in 100 breast with 1:01.36 'B'Â time to finish No. 9 in prelims ... Finished No. 14 in consolation final to score points for NU ... Reached scoring consolation final of 200 breast ... Swam career best 2:14.48 'B'Â in prelims to finish No. 11 ... Finished No. 13 in consolation finals of 200 breast at Big Tens ... Swam third in NU's top 200 medley and 400 medley teams, which set season best times at Big Tens ... Finished No. 2 in first four races of the year in 100 and 200 breast, vs. Illinois/Eastern Michigan (10/18) and WKU (10/25) ... Took third in 100 and 200 breast in back-to-back meets vs. UIC/Wyoming (11/9) and Wisconsin (11/15) ... Finished No. 2 at Shamrock Invite in 200 breast (1/31).
2012-13: Breakout member of Northwestern's breaststroke group ... Ranked second on NU's top times list for the year in both breast distances ... Earned bonus final swims in both breast events at the Big Ten Championships, placing 20th in the 200 and 21st in the 100 ... Ranks seventh on NU's all-time top times list in both breaststroke races after a 1:03.08 in the prelims of the 100 and identical times of 2:16.45 in the prelims and finals of the 200 at Big Tens ... Also competed in the 500 free (61st) at the conference meet ... Made the championship finals in all three breaststroke events at NU's own six-team TYR Invitational (11/16-11/18), placing second in the 200, fourth in the 50 and seventh in the 100 ... Scored points in both breaststroke races at the seven-team Iowa Invitational (11/30-12/2) ... Qualified for the 200 breaststroke championship final with a 2:18.49 before swimming a 2:17.79 in the evening to come in eighth ... Turned in a then-season-best 1:04.17 in the 100 breast to earn a lane in the consolation final, where she ended up 11th overall ... Scored dual-meet points with 11 top-five event finishes ... Finished second in both breaststrokes against Purdue (11/3) and also had a 100 breast second-place result versus Big Ten foe Illinois (10/19) and a 200 breast runner-up result at Iowa (1/26).
High School: Ranked as a four-star recruit by SwimmingWorldMagazine.com and as the 19th-ranked recruit in the state of Georgia by Collegeswimming.com ... Two-time all-American (2009, 2012) and school-record holder in the 100 breast ... 2012 Georgia state champion in the 100 breast, 200 medley relay and 200 free relay ... Three-year team MVP and two-time team captain ... Parkview's Outstanding Senior Athlete in 2012 in addition to being named the school's Outstanding Senior Swimmer and, in 2009, Rookie of the Year ... Four-time all-county and all-state award winner ... Competed for Parkview in swimming for four years while also competing several years with the cross country and track squads ... Four-year scholar athlete for swimming and three-year scholar athlete for cross-country and track ... 2012 Gwinnett County Senior Academic Team ... In addition to her school record in the 100 breast, also holds the 200 medley and 200 free relay marks and the 4x800 relay school record with the track team ... Two-time all-county and two-time team MVP with cross country ... Swam four years of club with Swim Atlanta ... Earned a 2012 Olympic Trials cut in the 100 breast, competing in the meet in Omaha ... Part of Swim Atlanta's Senior National Team ... Earned a Senior National cut in the 100 breast ... Won the Georgia state long course title in the 200 breast in 2011 ... Was the Georgia state runner-up in the short-course 100 breast in 2012 and the long course 100 breast in 2011 ... Earned the Outstanding Achievement Award in Anatomy and Physiology ... Four-year honor roll and academic letterwinner ... AP Scholar with Honor ... Earned the Scholar Athlete Award for the highest GPA on the cross country team.
Personal: Born Julianne M. Kurke ... Daughter of Pam and Paul Kurke ... Family is originally from Northbrook, Ill., moving to Atlanta when Julianne was born ... Chose Northwestern over Pennsylvania, Georgia Tech and MIT ... Majoring in biological sciences.
2014-15: Northwestern's top breaststroker … Team captain ... Ranked first on the Wildcats' top times list in both the 100 and 200 breast events while swimming the breast leg on both of NU's top medley relays … Broke the Norris Aquatics Center pool record with the 400 medley relay in the fall … Broke the Northwestern school record with the 200 medley relay at the Big Ten Championships … Earned bonus final swims in both breaststroke races at the B1G meet, placing 23rd in the 100 and 24th in the 200 after swimming a season-best 2:16.26 during the prelims of that race … Also swam in the 50 free (94th) at the conference meet … Finished second in the 100 breast at Northwestern's home TYR Invitational (11/21-11/23) with an NCAA 'B' provisional qualifying time of 1:02.40 … Also had a second-place TYR finish in the 50 breast and a sixth-place result in the 200 breast, where she swam a season-best 2:16.46 in her preliminary heat … Swam both breaststrokes at the AT&T U.S. Winter Nationals (12/3-12/6), placing 36th in the 100 breast and 44th in the 200 breast at the short course yards national championship meet … Won the 100 breast and finished second in the 200 during a season-opening dual-meet win against Illinois (10/17) … Captured the 200 breast on Senior Night against Milwaukee (1/16) … In all, had 12 top-three dual-meet race finishes including her two wins and five second-place results.
2013-14: Academic All-Big Ten ... Named team's Most Improved Swimmer ... Broke out at Big Ten Championships, swimming four 'B'Â cut times ... Reached scoring consolation final for NU at Big Ten Championships in 100 breast and 200 breast ... Led NU with the 'Cats' fastest times in the 100 breast and 200 breast ... Swam on NU's top 200 medley and 400 medley relay team ... Set career best in 100 breast with 1:01.36 'B'Â time to finish No. 9 in prelims ... Finished No. 14 in consolation final to score points for NU ... Reached scoring consolation final of 200 breast ... Swam career best 2:14.48 'B'Â in prelims to finish No. 11 ... Finished No. 13 in consolation finals of 200 breast at Big Tens ... Swam third in NU's top 200 medley and 400 medley teams, which set season best times at Big Tens ... Finished No. 2 in first four races of the year in 100 and 200 breast, vs. Illinois/Eastern Michigan (10/18) and WKU (10/25) ... Took third in 100 and 200 breast in back-to-back meets vs. UIC/Wyoming (11/9) and Wisconsin (11/15) ... Finished No. 2 at Shamrock Invite in 200 breast (1/31).
2012-13: Breakout member of Northwestern's breaststroke group ... Ranked second on NU's top times list for the year in both breast distances ... Earned bonus final swims in both breast events at the Big Ten Championships, placing 20th in the 200 and 21st in the 100 ... Ranks seventh on NU's all-time top times list in both breaststroke races after a 1:03.08 in the prelims of the 100 and identical times of 2:16.45 in the prelims and finals of the 200 at Big Tens ... Also competed in the 500 free (61st) at the conference meet ... Made the championship finals in all three breaststroke events at NU's own six-team TYR Invitational (11/16-11/18), placing second in the 200, fourth in the 50 and seventh in the 100 ... Scored points in both breaststroke races at the seven-team Iowa Invitational (11/30-12/2) ... Qualified for the 200 breaststroke championship final with a 2:18.49 before swimming a 2:17.79 in the evening to come in eighth ... Turned in a then-season-best 1:04.17 in the 100 breast to earn a lane in the consolation final, where she ended up 11th overall ... Scored dual-meet points with 11 top-five event finishes ... Finished second in both breaststrokes against Purdue (11/3) and also had a 100 breast second-place result versus Big Ten foe Illinois (10/19) and a 200 breast runner-up result at Iowa (1/26).
High School: Ranked as a four-star recruit by SwimmingWorldMagazine.com and as the 19th-ranked recruit in the state of Georgia by Collegeswimming.com ... Two-time all-American (2009, 2012) and school-record holder in the 100 breast ... 2012 Georgia state champion in the 100 breast, 200 medley relay and 200 free relay ... Three-year team MVP and two-time team captain ... Parkview's Outstanding Senior Athlete in 2012 in addition to being named the school's Outstanding Senior Swimmer and, in 2009, Rookie of the Year ... Four-time all-county and all-state award winner ... Competed for Parkview in swimming for four years while also competing several years with the cross country and track squads ... Four-year scholar athlete for swimming and three-year scholar athlete for cross-country and track ... 2012 Gwinnett County Senior Academic Team ... In addition to her school record in the 100 breast, also holds the 200 medley and 200 free relay marks and the 4x800 relay school record with the track team ... Two-time all-county and two-time team MVP with cross country ... Swam four years of club with Swim Atlanta ... Earned a 2012 Olympic Trials cut in the 100 breast, competing in the meet in Omaha ... Part of Swim Atlanta's Senior National Team ... Earned a Senior National cut in the 100 breast ... Won the Georgia state long course title in the 200 breast in 2011 ... Was the Georgia state runner-up in the short-course 100 breast in 2012 and the long course 100 breast in 2011 ... Earned the Outstanding Achievement Award in Anatomy and Physiology ... Four-year honor roll and academic letterwinner ... AP Scholar with Honor ... Earned the Scholar Athlete Award for the highest GPA on the cross country team.
Personal: Born Julianne M. Kurke ... Daughter of Pam and Paul Kurke ... Family is originally from Northbrook, Ill., moving to Atlanta when Julianne was born ... Chose Northwestern over Pennsylvania, Georgia Tech and MIT ... Majoring in biological sciences.
KURKE'S CAREER BESTS
| Event | Career Best |
| 50 free | 24.30 |
| 200 free | 1:55.05 |
| 100 breast | 1:01.36 |
| 200 breast | 2:14.47 |