Maddie walker west clermont

Maddie Walker was a star for the West Clermont track and cross country programs back in their early stages, capturing the state title in the indoor 1,600m as a junior.

After graduating in 2019, she joined the Cincinnati Bearcats track and cross country squads. Walker is currently competing in her final season collegiate season, and she isn’t done making history.

During the Wake Forest Invitational on April 19, she broke the Bearcats program record in the outdoor 5,000m with a time of (16:18.61).

“The day of the meet I had a good feeling about it, and I was in a good mindset. I had a good support system that day and we were all there to just have fun. When I got on the line, I knew it would be a good day no matter what,” said Walker.

She has had her eyes on this record throughout her five-year collegiate career. She also owns program records in the indoor 5,000m and the outdoor 10,000m.

“Getting this record was like a ‘finally’ moment. I personally didn’t know how good I was doing until I saw all my teammates’ faces. As I was running around the track, they were like ‘go, go!’ I was like, what? What am I doing? Then at the end, I was like oh my gosh I did it.”

The previous record was set in 2022 by Ellie Lea