Boys Track Athlete of the Year: An unassuming star

Quiet, long-haired and lanky, Brett Walters doesn’t seem like your typical jock.

He’s one of the top 30 cross country runners in the nation, but he wasn’t even voted “Most Athletic” in his senior yearbook.

He may not look the part, and some of his Sultana classmates may not be aware of it, but Walters is one of the most successful athletes the school has ever had.

Walters capped off a brilliant cross country and track career with a fifth-place medal at the CIF state track meet in the 3,200 meters. He was the only male athlete to finish that high at state in any event this past season, making him a clear choice as the 2008 Daily Press Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Going to the state meet would have been nothing new for him in cross country, but his stellar senior season marked the first time he reached state in track.

He focused on the 3,200 in the postseason, striving to reach his individual goals, and it paid off with a blindingly fast time of 9 minutes, 6.5 seconds in the state meet. But he also ran the 1,600 in about half his dual meets and never lost, helping Sultana finish a close second to Apple Valley in the Mojave River League.

“He didn’t always have to run the 1,600 for us to win, but whenever he was required to, he ran it,” former Sultana boys coach Justin Price said. “He never refused to do anything the coaches wanted him to do.”

When Walters moves on to attend the University of Colorado in the fall, he will run both cross country and track. He says he’s learning to enjoy track, but he prefers the variety and solitude of cross country courses.

A long-distance track race is literally about running in circles, and it’s more of a spectator sport.

“You kind of get dizzy after a while,” Walters said. “At night when you’ve got all the cameras flashing it kind of gets annoying.”

Not to mention the television cameras. He watched himself on TV when the 3,200 state finals were broadcast a few days after the event — although he didn’t exactly enjoy it.

“I was like, ‘wow, I got smoked,’ ” Walters said, referring to the 30-second gap between himself and state champion German Fernandez of Riverbank, who shattered the national record.

Walters says he doesn’t want or need the adulation that many athletes crave — and maybe he actually means it.

He says he wasn’t miffed about not being voted most athletic in his yearbook. The honor went to football and basketball star Michael Manson, but Walters did win the best car award for his white Subaru with a huge wing on the back and shiny gold rims.

Walters may not care about being the big man on campus, but he’s certainly derived some pleasure from his performance on the track.

“It’s pretty cool being the best at something,” he said.

When it came to track and field in the High Desert, Walters was the best in 2008.

Kris Reilly is the sports editor of the Daily Press. He can be reached at kreilly@vvdailypress.com or at 951-6274.