Devundrick Walker oozes with pride for Gateway High School, but he can’t wait to pull on another school’s jersey.
That school will be Colorado State-Pueblo, which is not only giving the Olys’ standout middle distance runner a chance to continue to compete, but also the chance to get a college degree, which wasn’t always a certainty for him.
Popular and prideful in his school, Walker signed his national athletic letter of intent with the ThunderWolves Monday in Gateway’s Upper Commons, which were crowded with fellow students, faculty, coaches and family up from Texas.
“Two years ago, I didn’t even know if I was going to go to college,” Walker said. “It’s a big change, but I’m ready. I really cannot wait.”
Walker graduates on Tuesday afternoon, just three days after he competed in his final prep race, the 800 meter run at the Class 5A state track meet at Jefferson County Stadium.
The runner-up in the race in 2013, Walker got boxed in early and could never make the move he wanted to make. He watched from behind as Denver East’s Cerake Geberkidane and Smoky Hill’s Blake Yount battled it out for the championship in a photo finish that went to Geberkidane by 0.02 of a second. Walker came across the finish line 10th.
Walker is looking forward to representing Colorado State-Pueblo and running against others in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference — which he’s researched thoroughly already — though he knows he’ll have to do some things he didn’t do it high school, namely regular weight lifting, which he hasn’t done since his sophomore year. But he knows it will help him get better.
“I just can’t wait to get faster,” said Walker, who expects to run middle distance events. “It’s training for track all year, which is very exciting.”
Walker plans to go into college as a general exercise science major and hopes to minor in coaching. He’s also developed an interest in kinesiology and may take advantage of some of CSU-Pueblo’s exercise science programs that have the chance to work with athletes at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
But to move on means never competing with the Gateway “G” on his chest anymore, which makes the next chapter somewhat bittersweet for him.
“I love Gateway so much, I really do,” he said. “We’ve won here, we’ve lost here, but it’s just an honor. I love Gateway whether I’m doing well or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m definitely coming back.”
— Courtney Oakes, Sports Editor
