Student Athlete of the Week – William Walz

Palm Desert senior attacker William Walz is this week's student-athlete of the week.

"He's just gone from this young, you know, not-so-confident boy to a mature young man who's become a leader inside and outside of the pool," head coach Michelle Valovic said. "It's been a really fun thing to watch."

William Walz is the star of the team, scoring ten goals in his past three games, and has lived up to the Aztec standard of being all in, but his previous teammates set the example of who he is today.

"It motivates me, you know, when I'm like out around campus, you know, to say hi to my teammates, even if they're, you know, they're younger, like JV players and just motivating them to keep playing because that's how I was, motivated when I was younger," Walz said. "Like I had guys always picking me up, always lifting me up, you know, and I wanted to be that person for the younger guys."

Being the captain for the Aztecs, head coach Michelle Valovic knew Walz was a one-of-a-kind player when he first joined the team.

"His consistency in working hard," coach Valovic said. "The fact that he's going to work hard every day and give it 100% in and out of the classroom is what makes him stand out in both of those places."

As Walz will graduate with high honors with a 4.7 GPA, he plans to attend college and still be involved in the sport he loves.

"A lot of past players from here have gone to play D1; they've played D2, D3, and even club," Walz said. "So I really want to play club and just get to be with that team aspect again." 

We are always looking for Student Athlete of the Week nominations. If you know a senior who should be featured next, be sure to contact the KESQ sports department.

The Student-Athlete of the Week segment airs every Tuesday.