GOLINFIELDWILDCATS.COM
FEBRUARY 9, 2024
LINFIELD WILDCATS
Shoaib Amanzad
Jacob Barnes
trey dieringer
ethan ensurd
jakob jarvis
lucien lefebvre
max vander meide
Jacob moore
Julian ortiz
jack parrott
price pothier
alex tapia
darrius walker
Divenson willis
Frank Johnson
Alyssa lampe
tim hess
klaira flatt
kami hart
Ayana Medina
125 | Freshman Beaverton, Oregon
125 | Freshman McMinnville, Oregon
brian walker jr. 165 | Freshman Hillsboro, Oregon
Katelyn cederberg 143 | Freshman Yelm, Washington
riley omonaka
116/123 | Junior Renton, Washington
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HWT | Sophomore McMinnville, Oregon
133 | Sophomore Keizer, Oregon
174 | Sophomore Hillsboro, Oregon
sophie cornwall 130 | Sophomore Ketchikan, Alaska
174 | Freshman Scappoose, Oregon
HWT | Sophomore Salem, Oregon
197 | Junior North Bend, Oregon
paulina fabela-santos 123 | Sophomore Federal Way, Washington
174 | Freshman Canby, Oregon
HWT | Sophomore Turlock, California
Head Coach First Year
143 | Sophomore Siletz, Oregon
157 | Junior Yamhill, Oregon
174 | Sophomore Dundee, Oregon
Assistant Coach Second Year
170 | Sophomore Sweet Home, Oregon
golinfieldwildcats.com abisua perez diaz 191 | Sophomore Portland, Oregon
february 9, 2024
alice rickett
143 | Sophomore Hilllsboro, Oregon
Kelsie Rush
109 | Freshman Sweet Home, Oregon
Emily sullenger
123 | Sophomore Cascade Locks, Oregon
184 | Sophomore McMinnville, Oregon
165 | Sophomore Warrenton, Oregon
Character Coach Second Year
136 | Sophomore Hillsboro, Oregon
GRAYS HARBOR CHOKERS NAME Hassan Abdi Luis Barajas Eric Blanchard Seth Brown Ljay Castro Charlie Choker Rocco Clark Bradley (Bo) Davis Noah Duran Jesse Easley Angel Flores Fabian Flores Elijah Gandert Marquis Gorneau Wyatt Hood Diego Isiordia Aiden McCain Alexander Perez Jeremy Roberts Saul Rocha Monte Sandling
MEN
YR. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. So. Jr. Fr.
NAME YR. Jojera Dodge Fr. Katie Gakin Fr. Aliya Hammons Fr. Kali Hood Fr. Emma Johnson Fr. Ariana Jones So. Marinthia Mendoza Fr. Grace Miller Jr. Marissa Riojas So. Alexis Rivera Fr. Emilia Robles Fr. Aleyda Rodriguez Fr. Danielle Rond Fr. Leilani Samoy So. Renaeh Ureste So. Georgia Ustaszewski So. Megan Webster Fr. HEAD COACH: Kevin Pine ASSISTANT COACHES: Chris Boeger, Kateri Rowell
HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL Longview, Wash. / R.A. Long Wapato, Wash. /, Wapato Montesano, Wash. / Montesano Aberdeen, Wash. / Aberdeen Granger, Wash. / Granger Aberdeen, Wash. / Aberdeen Toppenish, Wash. / Toppenish Chehalis, Wash. / W.F. West Clovis, Calif. / Clovis West Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla Tacoma, Wash. / Lincoln Tacoma, Wash. / Lincoln Sumner, Wash. / Sumner Granger, Wash. / Granger Columbus Mont. / Columbus Granger, Wash. / Granger Elma, Wash. / Elma Matamoros, Mexico / First Baptist Aberdeen, Wash. / Aberdeen El Paso Texas / Hanks Tacoma, Wash. / Foss
WOMEN
HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL Kirtland, N.M. / Kirtland Central Aberdeen, Wash. / Aberdeen Stanwood, Wash. / Stanwood Columbus, Mont. / Columbus Hoquiam, Wash. / Hoquiam Colorado Springs, Colo. / Mesa Ridge West Valley City, Utah / Granger Hood River, Ore. / Hood River Toppenish, Wash. / Toppenish Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls Port Orchard, Wash. / Peninsula Sunnyside, Wash. / Sunnyside Tracy, Calif. / Tracy Kahuku, Hawaii / Kahuku Seattle, Wash. / Chief Sealth Nome, Alaska / Nome Beltz Post Falls, Idaho / Post Falls
official publication of the linfield wildcats • golinfieldwildcats.com
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WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT
hard work pays
A building block for the nascent Linfield wrestling program, Darrius Walker sees a strong program in the years ahead by KARLIE VERCAUTEREN ’27
D
arrius Walker has an unquestionably magnetic personality. The Linfield University sophomore’s innate charisma, coupled with a genuine desire to learn about and connect with others, make him an outstanding Wildcat both on and off the wrestling mat. Part of what makes Walker so compelling is his relentless optimism, driven by an unwavering spiritual faith. An ardent Christian, Walker has learned through navigating hardship to take life as it comes and trust the process, saying “You can’t out-tough life.” What once completely overwhelmed Walker now motivates him, and he is eager to help others achieve that balance. Walker must balance his commitment to wrestling with classes, participation on the Wildcat Events Board, and working to contribute his share toward his tuition and the bills. He does not live on campus and is too busy for some of the activities that define the social scene of more traditional students. “I have to focus on life right now,” he explains. By doing just that, Walker has gained an impressive maturity and sense of self. “I’ve noticed myself grow up a lot these past couple of years,” he says, proudly. This growing up has also involved Walker making tough decisions regarding his future with wrestling. He tore his meniscus twice in high school and after the second injury, the damage was so severe that surgeons removed the tissue completely. During the recovery period, Walker had to seriously consider how much he was willing to sacrifice to return to wrestling. Physically, “it may be a five-month recovery, but it’s more like a 10-month process. You spend the first five months physically recovering it and then the next five months rebuilding that strength.” That is without mentioning the emotional burden of being injured and the cognitive task of committing to recovery. While he admits to slacking some in his physical therapy, Walker’s success in returning to wrestling surprised him. There were “matches I shouldn’t have won that I won. Performances I have shown that no way someone in my position should have shown.” Having wrestled since the seventh grade, Walker realized that he could not yet imagine his life without his sport, despite the pain
it had brought him. “When you start something, and you keep doing it for a while, you kind of just can’t stop. It becomes like a pattern of habit. It’s one of those things where if you don’t do it, it doesn’t feel right,” he explains. Being part of the Linfield team did feel right, despite the challenges the ‘Cats faced last year as a brand new program. Without established upperclassmen to show the new arrivals the ropes, the team felt a little lost. But now they have fought their way through that first season and take great satisfaction and pride in what they are building. Walker believes that the sacrifices being made by the wrestlers today will have a positive influence on the future of the program. “In the eyes of a newcomer, earning is a lot better than being given. They look up to someone who earned the spot rather than being given that spot. A year or two from now, it’s going to be a much more improved state from what we see now in the program.” Even high hopes for the future, Walker is proud of the place where the team is today. He appreciates how head coach Frank Johnson emphasizes the basics, encouraging wrestlers to “slow it down” and focus on their technique. This makes the sport more approachable for new wrestlers and helps individuals develop greater confidence in their abilities, which Walker believes is paying off. “The wrestling program and the wrestlers are both growing up into the sport.” And as the wrestlers gain skills, they also develop their sense of camaraderie. Walker has been thrilled to watch the team become more of a family, especially when his passion helped convince his younger brother, Brian, to wrestle for Linfield. “My brother saw me wrestle in college and he saw how much I enjoyed it. He saw a complete 180 for me in how much I loved the team. I got worked over my freshman year. Bad. But I still smiled. I was still having a good time. When you see that despite everything going bad, it can change perspectives.” Brian himself commends his brother’s commitment and how it encourages those around him to always put forth their best effort. “There are a lot of days where I don’t feel like going to practice or sometimes not practice hard, but (Darrius) is always there to force me. I have never regretted it.” Walker places such high value on hard work and the struggle it entails because he believes that is how character is developed. “I’m a firm believer in getting your butt kicked. That’s what happened to me. You can’t do well without 100 losses beneath you. You need to be humble; you need to be patient. Without patience or a little faith, you won’t make it far. That can be said for any sport.” That perspective has enabled him to create a full, rewarding life and carry himself with an inspiring grace and kindness. As he continues to wrestle for Linfield, Darrius Walker is sure to help shape the team into one defined by resilience, hustle, and love for one another and the sport.