Grace Walker was the first Southern Athletic Association student-athlete to be named the Division III Commissioners Association Region 6 Student-Athlete of the Year. (Centre College Athletics Photo)
Grace Walker’s distinguished golf career at Centre College enabled her to become the Southern Athletic Association Women of the Year after leading her team to three top-15 finishes at the NCAA Tournament and three SAA championships. She was a two-time All-American and graduated with a 3.97 grade-point average.
Walker, a NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, also recently was named the Division III Commissioners Association Region 6 Student-Athlete of the Year that recognizes graduating seniors who have demonstrated excellence in athletics, leadership and service. She’s the first SAA student-athlete to earn the prestigious honor that was started three years ago.
“I was having lunch and Coach (CheyAnn Knudsen) texted me. I was not sure what it was about, so I was happily surprised. It’s so exciting to get awards even after I graduated,” Walker, who is now working corporate finance for General Electric in her hometown of Louisville, said.
She had to include a personal statement in her application for this award and stressed a mix of the athletic, academic and leadership to showcase her personal side.
Walker graduated Summa Cum Lade in Economics and Finance with a Spanish minor. In four years she had an A in every class except two and made an A-minus in those classes (environmental science, American history).
“It was not easy. It was a lot of studying in the van on the way to and from golf tournaments. It’s harder with golf because we travel for longer periods of time than other sports. I had to get ahead and stay ahead,” Walker, a four-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar, said. “It helped that all of us on the golf team held each other accountable and we set aside time even at tournaments to do our work.
“I probably stressed more about academics than golf. When I was at golf practice I would take that 2 of 2 1/2 hours not to worry about school. The rest of the time I was always thinking about golf,” Walker said. “I tried really hard to use that time at golf to get away from all the other stuff and stress.”
Walker also found time for community service. She had leadership positions with Kappa Delta and the Centre Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She volunteered with Danville Girl Scouts, the Kentucky Golf Show and the Danville High School Youth Service Center while also fundraising for the Prevent Child Abuse organization.
“Greek life at Centre is pretty flexible because about 50 percent of the students are athletes. If I could not attend a function because of athletic reasons, it was fine but I had time to do a lot of things,” she said. “One of my favorite things I loved about Centre is that academics and athletics make it work for you.
“I really miss Centre. I have a lot of friends from Centre who live in Louisville but I see I have friends still back at Centre, too. The good aspect of corporate life is that it is nice not having homework. When I get off work, I do not have to do anything I don’t want to do. Now my bedtime is between 10 and 10:30 and it was never like that at Centre because I was always studying.”
She’s also adjusting to now playing golf maybe once a week either with her parents or friends in Louisville.
“It’s nothing like it was but I am getting used to it,” she said. “However, I’ll always cherish my time at Centre.”
Each Commissioners Association regional winner advanced to the national ballot for the Division III National Student-Athlete of the Year.
