John Raffel
Sports Scene
The Walter family in Midland lives and breathes sports – and for three very good reasons.
D’Andra Walter and her husband, Dave, who were both athletes and graduates of Michigan Tech, have certainly been trying their best and succeeding in being loyal sports fans for their one son and two daughters.
D’Andra (Poyfair) played basketball and Dave played football at Michigan Tech; both are in the school’s Hall of Fame. Their children have obviously inherited their parents’ athletic skills.
Their son David played football at Michigan Tech for three seasons and will receive his Masters degree in December after graduating with a bachelors in three years. Jess played basketball for two seasons at Indiana University, and recently committed to Northern Kentucky University, but unfortunately a coaching change at NKU has reopened her recruitment. Meanwhile, Rebekah is a senior at Midland High School and runs cross country and track, and plans on running track at the University of Minnesota.
“We enjoy watching them,” D’Andra said. “We try to get to as much as we can. That’s pretty much what we’re doing for our entertainment these days, traveling. Football and basketball run over a little bit. So we divide and conquer from home.”
It’s actually a longer trip for them to go to Houghton, Mich., than Bloomington, Ind.
At Tech in 2014, David was named to the GLIAC Academic Excellence team and had two catches for 20 yards. Last season as a junior, in the team’s 4-0 start, he was the leading receiver with 20 catches for 253 yards and five touchdowns. After 10 games, with the team finishing 7-3, Walter had 51 catches for 576 yards and eight touchdowns.
“We’re off to a good start,” he said after the first four games. “This is first year I’ve been a starter. It’s a lot of fun to contribute. I’ve been happy with what’s going on so far. It’s all about keeping our winning streak going.”
Tech runs a pro style and has a 50-50 mix on running and passing, David said.
At Midland, he spent time at wide receiver and tight end, and safety, and also played in basketball and track.
“I take pride in my route running,” Walter said, “and also with my hands. The program up here emphasizes hard work and earning everything you can get.”
Jess played two seasons at Indiana, and then decided to transfer to NKU in April. She is hoping to find the right fit for her over the two next years.
For Indiana during the 2014-15 season, Jess appeared in all 31 games with four starts and averaged 7.4 points per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the 3-point area and 73.8 percent from free throws.
“Things went good last year,” she said after her first season. “We did not have the season we wanted. We were young last year and we’ve all gained some experience. Having some good competitive games will bode well for us coming into this year.”
Walter led all Big Ten freshmen and was fourth overall in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage, while scoring in double figures in 10 games and connecting on three or more 3-pointers in six contests.
She had tallied nine points in her collegiate debut off the bench against Gardner-Webb, and had 16 points while shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 in 3-pointers.
Walter, in Big Ten action, led Indiana with 14 points against Ohio State on Jan. 8, 2015, while netting four 3-point field goals. Her first career start featured 11 points with two rebounds, a steal and an assist vs. Wisconsin.
“It’s definitely a big adjustment switching from high school to college,” she said prior to her sophomore season. “You have to stay confident in yourself in knowing what you can do. It’s fun to play with players who are at such a high level and they just make you better every day in practice. That correlates into the game.”
As a senior at Midland High, Walter was a runner-up for Miss Basketball in the state of Michigan in 2014 and was an all-stater High School Sports Scene Magazine Dream Team co-Player of the Year.
She set school records for most points in a season, most 3-pointers made in a year and most assists in a season while leading Midland to a 21-3 record with a conference and district title in 2013-14 while averaging 18.0 points, 5.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. The previous winter, she averaged 20.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.4 steals per game. In her freshman season, Walter helped Midland gain the school’s first ever regional championship.
“I think I see the court very well and anticipate what’s going to happen next,” she said. “My 3-point shot has been a strength.”
Playing Big Ten basketball “has been an incredible experience,” Walter said. “It’s something I’ve always dreamed about. It’s something that’s really cool.”
But after her sophomore season, Walter decided to move on. The school’s student newspaper reported in late March the 6-foot guard announced via Twitter that she would be transferring. For the 2015-16 season, she appeared in 32 of 33 games, starting in five after battling back from a preseason concussion. Walter scored just 2.8 points in 16.4 minutes per game.
“Hoosier Nation,” Walter tweeted. “I have built some life-long bonds and have met some incredible people. I am very proud of the growth of this team and will continue to wish the rest of my teammates the utmost success. However, after much consideration and prayer, I have decided to continue my career elsewhere.”
Rebekah “has been a little different than the other two,” D’Andra said. “She has a black belt from Taekwondo in Midland. She dabbled around in different things to find something she loved. She found Taekwondo and it took off from there as far as her athletic interests.”
Track is the top high school sport for her and the 300 hurdles has been Rebekah’s specialty. She was third in the state last season in 44.37 seconds.
“She just loves running those hurdles,” D’Andra said. “There’s quite a few schools looking at her now.”
It’s her senior season. Rebekah ran cross country last fall and indoor track during the winter.
“Track is my main sport,” she said. “Cross country is for fun and to get endurance for track.”
The third-place state finish has been a top highlight.
“Our team has also done well,” Rebekah said. “Right now, coming off last year I’ll be ranked second in the state. I want to compete for first and second. I hope to improve my personal best. Right now, I’m 0.8 seconds away from the school record in the 300 hurdles. Our 4×1 last year did really well and qualified for states. We didn’t do as well as I think we can for state because of a bad handoff. We’re returning all those girls. I think we can qualify again and do really well.”
Her strength in the hurdles is “good technique and speed,” Rebekah said.
She does run the 100 hurdles, but not often because of her participation in the relays.
Rebekah announced in mid-April she would be running track at the University of Minnesota.
All three Walter athletes enjoy being in a sports-enthused family.
“It’s a lot of fun for me,” David said. “I know my parents and my sisters … it’s a lot of fun to talk to them about it. It’s good to have a nice support network. Everyone tries to come to as many games as they can. I try to get to as many of my sisters’ basketball games and track meets as possible. I like that aspect of it.”
“The family support through my athletics journey has been a blessing,” Jess said. “I couldn’t ask for a better family. Watching my brother and sister and having my parents go through college and knowing from their own experience and offering advise is really invaluable. We always give our best and try our best. That’s all you can ask for.”
“It’s really fun,” Rebekah said. “Everyone is super competitive. All of our vacations involved being active, running around and doing things. It’s all really fun.”