CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — Despite being introduced to the sport at a late age and having her position and coaches constantly change, one thing has always remained consistent for Katie Walker: her love and passion for soccer.

Now after years of dedication to the sport, Walker has been rewarded with a scholarship to play for Ohio Christian University (OCU).

“I started seriously playing soccer in seventh grade,” Walker said. “I had played on an indoor team the winter before. As soon as I played that first indoor game, I fell in love with the sport.”

To compete with her more experienced peers in junior high, Walker needed an edge that would allow her to catch up to them in a short amount of time. This came in the form of self-motivation for Walker, not needing to be inspired by anyone to become the best player she could be.

“I really didn’t have any role models throughout junior high,” Walker recalled. “I was on a co-ed team and just pushed myself to be as good as the guys I was playing with. However, in high school that changed. I started to look up to my high school coach, Chris Murphy. He knows the sport very well and helped to make me the player I am today.”

Walker’s autonomy was necessary for the first few years of her soccer journey, but Coach Murphy’s assistance was integral in developing Walker into an all-around player.

“By my second year of junior high, I was a defender,” Walker said. “I loved that position, but it was the last time I played it until my senior year. Coach Murphy had me play elsewhere my first three years at Waverly High School, but then we got a new head coach for my final season. This new coach had never seen me play another position and just felt more comfortable knowing I was in the back. So I relearned the position and came to love it all over again.”

Walker will continue as a defender at OCU. However, had it not been for Coach Murphy, the university would be getting a less versatile player. Coach Murphy’s philosophy was one of the main reasons Walker chose Ohio Christian.

“When I first met my university’s coach, Bethany Arroyo, she pitched me her idea of where she wanted the team to go,” Walker said. “It reminded me a lot of the vision Coach Murphy created with our high school team. The thought of being on another team that had the same ideas sounded like something I wanted to be a part of.”

From there, all Walker needed was one extra push to choose OCU. She had interest from other schools, but one visit put those other offers to the side.

“As soon as I saw the campus and learned more about OCU, it was a no-brainer that this was where I wanted to go,” Walker said.

Walker will head to OCU with an undecided major. Regardless of her academic ambivalence, she is certain on what she wants for herself as a player and where she wants the team to go.

“For myself at OCU, I would love to grow as a player and get better,” Walker said. “For the team, I would love to be a part of rebuilding the program and to be able to help with that anyway I can.”

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