FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Wednesday, March 23, 2016 Walters’ World: Sibling connection deeply rooted in Yellowjacket Athletics By: Rio Frame, MSUB Media Relations Intern
MSUB golfers Austin Walter and Sammy Walter are the latest in a family connection to Yellowjacket Athletics, carrying on the legacy of older sister Chelsey Walter who is a volleyball alumna. MSUB SPORTS – The average height of a pro golfer is between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-1. Montana State University Billings freshman golfer, Austin Walter stands at around 6-foot-7. He towers above the rest of his teammates who are all coincidentally either 5-foot-10 or 6-foot-1. A taller golfer theoretically has an advantage of a larger arc swing, however timing and control are more difficult to control. For Austin to decide that golf was the sport that he wanted to play and continue into college demonstrates that he is not afraid of a challenge and that he is extremely mentally tough. This toughness that Austin, and his siblings Sammy Walter and Chelsey Walter display could have been learned from a family trip to Canada where they all went golfing. The Walter family consists of 2015 graduate and volleyball player Chelsey, sophomore women’s golf player Sammy, and Austin along with their parents Chris and Otto Walter. On said trip it was the siblings’ mother, Chris Walter’s turn in the tee box. She took her first swing, missed, let loose her second swing, missed, and her third swing was another miss. By this time her family was trying to stifle its laughter behind her. But by around her 12th try and first actual hit, the four others were falling out of their cart in hysterics over Chris’
obvious frustration and determination. Any child who grows up around that type of determination is bound to gain some of his own like Austin did. The freshman stated, “I think my mental toughness is my strength in golf.” His family would have to agree. “Austin’s calmness will get him anywhere that he wants to go,” noted both his parents. As for getting through bad rounds, Austin said, “You just have to take it one hole at a time. I try not to get ahead of myself.” Not only does Austin have to contend with his own mind during golf tournaments, but all the elements as well. “There are so many factors that go into golf that makes it so hard. I thought volleyball was hard, but there is so much more into golf than anyone really realizes,” remarked Chelsey, a firstteam all-GNAC star her senior season with the ‘Jackets. “It makes me have a deeper respect for my siblings. They work hard at their sport.” There is an uncanny resemblance between the entire Walter family. Upon first impression this family of athletes would probably be stereotyped as basketball players for how tall they stand. Each family member even mentioned how basketball was a fun pastime, sometimes with it even getting fairly competitive. However, the only basketball player out of the five was Chris. As a whole the Walters have dabbled in all kinds of sports, such as At 6-foot-7, freshman golfer Austin Walter towers soccer, baseball, softball, football, golf, and volleyball. over almost all of his counterparts.
Chelsey noted how golf was something that the whole family could do together. They even have a tradition of going out to golf every Mother’s Day to spend the day as a family. “My dad would get us to go out in the summer and spring to play, but I never played it like Sammy and Austin did,” said Chelsey. “Our cousins, aunts, and uncles play golf too.” “Sammy and I grew up playing at Par 3, a local Billings golf course,” remembered Austin. “Mom would drop us off there in the morning and we would just play little competitions with each other all day.” Sammy and Austin enjoyed playing on the same team throughout high school as well. All three siblings attended Billings Senior High. “I always try to beat her, but she beats me a lot,” commented Austin. It's no surprise Austin has difficulty competing with the family’s middle sibling, as Sammy played her way to second-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors as a true freshman. One of the team’s most consistent players from start-to-finish in 2014-15, Sammy led the team with a scoring average of 81.2 and had three top-10 finishes overall in an outstanding first season. Austin chose to attend MSUB to be close to home as well as the opportunity to receive a scholarship. His parents decided that their children were responsible enough and mature enough to handle their finances on their own once college
A younger – and much shorter – Austin Walter grips a golf club for one of the first times.
came into the picture. This philosophy has helped each of their three children learn responsibility and humility, and a down-to-earth sense of genuineness radiates from the siblings. When asked whether the fact that his two older sisters had decided to go to MSUB had influenced his decision to attend there, Austin responded accordingly. “Yes, Sammy and Chelsey going to MSUB made it a comfortable choice for me, plus I already liked everyone on the golf team.” “I told Sammy and Austin not to overthink the whole process of choosing which school to go to. I just let them know how much my time at MSUB meant to me,” commented Chelsey. “You can have all the same college experiences in your hometown, and get to meet all these new and exciting people.” Chelsey had this to say about her time MSUB, “My MSUB experience was one-hundred percent sports and I’ve made some of my best friends from the experience. It is something that I miss every day.” She still tries to attend some of her former teammates’, as well as, her siblings’ athletic events since graduating from the university last December. She plans to go watch Sammy and Austin at the GNAC Championships in April with their mother in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. “Our parents try to get to as many tournaments as they can,” remarked Sammy. Austin’s siblings also help him strive to better himself academically. “They are all so smart, I feel like I need to work on that too,” commented Austin. Academically, Austin is trying to work through a lot of his general course requirements, and still supplement them with some accounting classes for his overall business major. “The transition from high school to college was a little rough first semester,” noted the golfer. “I feel like it affected my golf game slightly too, but this semester is way better.” Sammy Walter was a second-team all-GNAC pick as a true freshman a season ago, leading the ‘Jackets in scoring average.
Chelsey commented on how her brother and sister have come more out of their comfort zones since enrolling in college. “They have always been a little more on the quiet side growing up,” said Chelsey. Her thoughts correspond with her parents who describe their two younger children as having calm demeanors. Golf is the only sport that technically has two seasons. They start competing in the fall, but their championship season does not start until spring. With the offseason landing in winter, Austin spent a lot of time at Mitchell’s, a place that has a golf simulator for him to practice with. He likes the two seasons because it means more time that he gets to play and golf competitively. When he can get out and golf on the courses around town, Austin likes to go to Briarwood. He spends about 10 hours a week golfing.
Chelsey Walter was a first-team all-GNAC spiker her senior year with the ‘Jackets in 2015.
Recently finishing his first tournament of the spring season, Austin had his best round to date as he shot a 74 on his birthday on Monday in California. Austin feels like his biggest accomplishment so far came as a high-schooler when he shot a 68 at Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls, which is four under par for that particular course. He doesn’t want to settle there though, as his goal is to get a win sometime in his championship season. “I have not had a win yet, but that’s what I’m striving for. I have gotten second though,” stated Austin. He’s also looking for his team to get some wins and to just have some fun out there. Chelsey understands Austin’s level of motivation to win. “I loved playing at that competitive level. It is hard to leave that behind,” reminisced the former volleyball player. Luckily for Chelsey she can still live vicariously through her younger siblings. “My advice for Austin would be don’t take a second of your playing time for granted, because it is going to be gone in the blink of an eye,” recommended Chelsey. “I remember hearing people say that to me all through high school and college, and I always thought I had plenty of time left, but then senior night comes and it hits you like a ton of bricks. I hope they know that these are going to be some of the best times of their lives.
Austin Walter had his best round of the year in his very first outing of the spring, shooting a 74 at the Cal Baptist Invitational on his birthday Monday.
“I know that Sammy and Austin are going to be successful people. They are easy going and thoughtful people. I see Austin continuing to do what he loves, whether it is golf or something else,” bubbled the oldest sister. “My proudest moment with Austin would be when he decided to play golf in college. He is undecided with a lot of things so it was cool to watch him choose to continue golf.”
For Austin’s father Otto his proudest moment while watching his son golf was during a state tournament. “We were coming to the 18th hole and Austin had the defending state champion playing behind him. Austin hit the ball and we thought it went over the crick, but we couldn’t find the ball. Austin took the ball back and hit again. By the time that he had finished the hole, which was a par five, he took a 12 or 13, but he stayed calm during the hole,” comments his dad while trying to hold back tears. “I have never been so proud of Austin.” Father and son seem to be very proud of each other. “The most influential person in my life would have to be my dad,” remarked Austin. “He is a really hard worker. He is also the one who initially introduced me to golf.” Austin continued to talk about how his father would fly back and forth from California every other week for his job before he retired. Besides his father, Connor Miele, a junior from Austin’s team, has also been an inspiration. “He continuously reminds me that he’s happy that I am a part of the team,” notes Austin. “He’s a really good teammate and captain. I met him before the beginning of the season last year.” The golf team appears not to be very affected from not having any senior leadership this year. “I count Connor as a senior. He’s mature and a good leader,” commented Austin. Sammy also noted that all of the women on the team feel so equal since there are no seniors on their roster either. “We all play about the same and have the same respect for each other,” said Sammy.
The golf team’s first tournament of the season was played in Washington during the fall. “I shot 79 for all three rounds, which I guess is consistent, but par is 72 so I wasn’t very happy with it,” said Austin. “I have normally shot around par for my golf career, but I was not doing that last semester. I would like to redeem myself this second semester.” The team’s next tournament is at home at the Yellowjacket Spring Invitational starting Monday at Pryor Creek Golf Club in Huntley, Mont. The three siblings have many things in common. They all chose MSUB to continue doing a sport that they love, and carry on the active lifestyle that their parents instilled in them from a young age. They are genuine and unique individuals who make an impact in many people’s lives. As a family they seem to never run out of positive things to say about one another and others. With that type of support system behind Austin and Sammy, they are bound to succeed in anything that they put their minds to. --@MSUBSports | #JacketNation--