2019-20 Track & Field Roster
Kelsey Walters
- Position:
- Throws
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Troy
- Hometown:
- Troy, Ohio
Indoor PRs: Shot Put – 15.33m / 50'-3.5" (2/29/20) | Weight Throw – 16.25m / 53'-3.75" (2/15/19)
Outdoor PRs: Shot Put – 14.77m / 48’-5.5” (4/28/17) | Hammer Throw - 42.72m / 140'-2" (4/6/19)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- Second Team All-MAC (Indoor: 2020 in shot put)
- Holds the program record in the outdoor shot put at 14.77m (48'-5.5") set at the Ball State Challenge (April 13, 2018)
- Holds the program record in the indoor shot put at 15.33m (50'-3.5") set at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships (Feb. 29, 2020)
- MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete (Indoor: 2020)
- Academic All-MAC (Indoor: 2018, 2019 & 2020 | Outdoor: 2018 & 2019)
- MAC Field Athlete of the Week (March 20, 2019)
- One-time MAC Indoor Championship medalist, earning one silver (2020 in shot put)
2020 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (Sr.): The 2020 outdoor season was canceled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.
2020 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (Sr.): Competed in seven meets ... Second Team All-Mid-American Conference ... MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete ... Academic All-MAC ... placed second in the shot put at the MAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 29) with a program-record throw of 15.33m (50'-3.5") ... originally broke the program's shot put record with a mark of 15.15m (49'-8.5") to win the event at the Ball State Tune-Up (Feb. 21) ... placed second in the shot put at 14.49m (47'-6.5") and turned in a season-best effort of 14.82m (48'-7.5") in the weight throw at the Gladstein Invitational (Jan. 24-25) ... opened the season by winning the shot put at the Mastodon Opener (Dec. 7) with a mark of 14.35m (47'-1").
2019 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (Jr.): Competed in seven meets ... Academic All-MAC ... placed 12th in the shot put at the MAC Outdoor Championships (May 12) with a distance of 13.84m (45'-5") … recorded a season-best shot put throw of 14.69m (48'-2.5") at the Lenny Lyles/Clark Wood Invitational (April 26) … won the shot put at the Stan Lyons Invitational (March 16) with a distance of 14.02m (46'-0") which helped her earn MAC Field Athlete of the Week recognition … recorded a career-best hammer throw of 42.72m (140'-2") at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (April 6).
2019 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (Jr.): Competed in eight meets … Academic All-MAC ... placed eighth in the shot put at the MAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 23) with a season-best mark of 14.37m (47'-1.75") which is the second-best individual performance in program history … turned in a career-best weight throw of 16.25m (53'-3.75") to place fourth at the Ball State Tune-Up (Feb. 15), while also placing second in the shot put at 14.00m (45'-11.25") … won the shot put at the IWU Indoor Invitational (Jan. 18) with a distance of 13.55m (44'-5.5"), while placing second in the weight throw at 16.17m (53'-0.75").
2018 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (So.): Competed in seven meets … Academic All-Mid-American Conference ... placed seventh in the shot put at the MAC Outdoor Championships (May 11) with a distance of 14.22m (46'-8") ... set the program record in the shot put with a mark of 14.77m (48'-5.5") to place second at the Ball State Challenge (April 13) ... won the shot put at the Stan Lyons Invitational (March 17) with a mark of 13.70m (44'-11.5") ... logged a career-best hammer throw of 38.79m (127'-3") to place 10th at the Oliver Nikoloff Invitational (March 30).
2018 INDOOR TRACK & FIELD (So.): Competed in eight meets … Academic All-MAC ... placed 14th in the shot put at the MAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 24) with a mark of 13.21m (43'-4.25") ... turned in the third-best individual effort in program history in the shot put with a fourth-place distance of 14.13 (46'-4.25") at the Fred Wilt Invitational (Jan. 27) ... won the shot upt at the Mastodon Opener (Dec. 2) with a distance of 13.57m (44'-6.25") ... placed fifth in the weight throw at the Ball State Tune-Up (Feb. 16) with a toss of 15.01m (49'-3").
2017 OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD (Fr.): Competed in seven meets … placed 14th in the shot put at the Mid-American Conference Outdoor Championships (May 12) with a throw of 13.35m (43’-9.75”) … took second in the shot put at the “GINA” Relays (Apr. 28) after posting a season-best throw of 13.69m (44’-11”) … won the shot put at the Stan Lions Invitational (Mar. 18) with a distance of 12.28m (40’-3.5”).
HIGH SCHOOL: Earned four letters in track & field at Troy High School for coaches Kurt Snyder and Aaron Gibbons … holds the school record in the shot put at 41'-10” set in a second-place finish at regionals her senior season … placed sixth in the shot put at the OHSAA Division 1 State Meet her senior season with a mark of 41’-9.75 to earn All-State accolades … helped guide the Trojans to six Great Western Ohio Conference North Division championships and a pair of district titles over her career … first team all-conference in the shot put in each of her final three seasons … four-time first team all-conference in relay events over her career … earned all-state honors as a sophomore after helping guide the Trojan's 4x100m relay to a seventh place finish at the state meet with a time of 48.96 ... also a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Troy, earning third team all-Dayton area honors as a senior.
PERSONAL: Daughter of Kevin and Carolyn Walters … has one brother, Kevin, and one sister, Jasmine … her uncle Ken Simpson played basketball at Grambling State and was drafted by the Kansas City Kings in the fifth round of the 1982 NBA Draft … her cousin Lee Smith played 18 seasons in the MLB (1980-1997), pitching his first eight seasons for the Chicago Cubs … Smith set the National League saves record with 47 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1991 and was a runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award … he retired as the major league record holder with 478 career saves, which was broken in 2006 … distant cousin Le’veon Bell played college football at Michigan State and is currently a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers … her cousin Taiwan Jones also played football at Michigan State and signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Jets in 2015 … her cousin Jeremiah Walters played football at Texas A&M University-Commerce … full name is Kelsey Diane Walters … born Oct. 13, 1997 in Troy, Ohio … maintains a 3.797 grade point average as an exercise science major.
