South Side track & field and cross country star Evan Walda has signed his letter of intent to go to Valparaiso University. He plans to continue competing in both sports at the college level.
“I am extremely honored to have worked with Evan during his Cross Country and Track career at South Side,” Archers’ cross country head coach Taylor Buzzard said. “He is a top-notch student and athlete. He is the first male Archer to commit to running D1 cross country in nearly a century. He has made all of us proud.”
Indeed, Walda’s grades have been top-notch. His grade point average is 4.03. He received a partial scholarship to go to Valpo. He plans to major in Biochemistry. He hopes to eventually go to graduate school and study Physical Therapy.
“My two [science] teachers that have taught me my junior and senior year, especially my junior year, have really impacted me in choosing a science course just because I love chemistry, and I love that subject so much,” Walda said. “And also, my junior year teacher studied Biochemistry, and talking to her, she really enjoyed it. And it just seemed [like] something that I would be interested in.”
Walda got to visit the campus twice. The first was a general visit, and the second was an overnight visit with the cross country team. During that visit, he got to meet the team and the coach, which proved to be major factors in his decision to go to Valparaiso.
“I really enjoyed talking to the coach,” Walda said. “He seemed very intelligent. He knew what he was talking about. He kind of had that passion for running that I was really looking for. The team also showed that through their running, through just joking around. I warmed up with them, and they were just laughing and having a good time, but then when the workouts started, they got right down to business and did a great workout.”
Walda was joined by his family during the signing. But due to the Coronavirus pandemic, he could not be joined by his teammates.
“After four years, you get really close with these guys, especially training with them,” Walda said. “The guys on my cross country team, I really wish they could’ve been there, that would’ve been really cool. And then even with track, some of the other seniors that were going to sign, it would’ve been really cool to sign with them, but we couldn’t because of the Coronavirus.”
In cross country; Walda’s career at South Side included a sectional championship his junior year, as well as trips to semi-state each of the last three years. In track, he was part of a 4×800 meter relay team that made it to State in 2019.
“The growth I have seen in Evan during his four years was tremendous both in competition, but also growing into a well-rounded young man,” Buzzard said. “Across his career, he improved his best times in the 5K by more than 4 minutes from his freshman year to his senior year.”
Buzzard was also impressed with Walda’s leadership ability.
“Evan especially stepped it up this year as the lone senior on the team. I don’t think I even said it out loud that he was the leader or ever directly asked it of him, but he filled those shoes well. He cheered for his teammates and gave them tough encouragement when it was needed. His ability to step in as a leader was definitely a major factor in the success we saw as a team and [in] him as an individual.”
Buzzard’s advice to Walda as he gets ready for college would simply be to continue to learn from challenging times.
“The tough workouts, late nights of studying, and the challenges of exploring adulthood will all be key learning moments,” Buzzard said. “Don’t get frustrated by the little things. Embrace those that love you, and help others along the way. I know [Evan] will accomplish great things, and I look forward to watching [his] continued growth as a student, and athlete, and a man.”
Evan’s younger sister Lauren Walda, a sophomore, also competes in cross country and track. At the 2019 Sectional track meet, she finished ninth in the 1600 meter run, seventh in the 3200-meter run, and was part of a 4×800 meter relay team that finished ninth. In cross country, she made it to semi-state both as a freshman and as a sophomore.
“I think she’s at a higher level than I was my freshman and sophomore years,” Evan Walda said. “I think that even with this Coronavirus, this little break, I think she’ll be able to focus in and really get some good training in going into the cross country season. She’s seen a lot of improvement from freshman to sophomore year, so I’m really excited to see what she will do from sophomore-to-junior and junior-to-senior year.”
