Recent Miami Trace High School graduate, Hayden Walters, prior to the commencement, announced his college intentions during a ceremony in the lobby of the high school.
“I’ll be going to Mount St. Joseph University to study business and play golf for them,” Walters said. MSJU is located in Cincinnati.
“When I first started (looking at colleges), I was open to about any school,” Walters said. “I had some schools outside the state. Once it got narrowed down, I wanted a school that was close to me and one that fit me the best. Mount St. Joseph ended up being about the only one on the list that was in the state. It was everything I was looking for with a good business program, and a decent golf program and a great coach.
“It’s going to be fairly open for the first couple of years, like general business classes,” Walters said. “Then, after that I’ll have to narrow it down. I’m not sure if I want to do marketing, or accounting, or management. I’ll make that decision after the first couple of years there.”
Walters’ top sport is golf. However, as he came up through the grades, he also played baseball and basketball.
“I played basketball through my freshman year,” Walters said. “And baseball from the time I was four through my sophomore year. After that, I just focused on playing golf.
“I just love the mental aspect and the strategy part of the game,” Walters said. “It is very (mental). It is definitely stressful on the mind. I just enjoy more the strategy of the game, more so than like how other sports require more of the physical talents. I prefer to out-strategize others.”
What about favorite subjects in high school and favorite teachers?
“For me, history is my biggest thing,” Walters said. “All of the history teachers I had were really great. Mr. (Tim) Dettwiller, Mr. (Brent) Noes and Mr. (Glenn) Custis were all really great.”
Favorite moment in high school golf
“My sophomore year we had a really solid team that I was lucky enough to be the five man on,” Walters said. “We made it to Districts and we were able to play at Eagle Sticks. They put us up in a hotel and we got to play a practice round, missed some school for it and stuff and that was definitely the most fun that we had.”
What will it take to succeed at the next level?
“Academically, I definitely need to apply myself more in the classroom,” Walters said. “That’s definitely something I can improve on myself, just putting in more time.
“As far as the golf goes, I feel like I’ve done a good job with all of the assets I’ve had to work with so far to improve my game,” Walters said. “As far as practicing goes, it’s just tough. If I want to go out to the (driving) range, it’s expensive. But, with college, I’m going to have unlimited access to all the practice I need to be able to be the best that I can.”
Thank yous
“Definitely, God plays a big role in my life,” Walters said. “My parents have been supportive of everything, through all the ups and downs of my high school career. My friends have been there and most recently, the last six months, my amazing girl friend (Natasha Andreas) has been there every step of the way in all of my decisions.”
Walters is the son of Craig Walters and Shelly Roshto.
