RECORD-SETTER. It is not very often that a generational talent rewrites an entire program’s record book. That was Lauren Walter, a two-time NAIA All-American and the 2023 Sooner Athletic Player of the Year who redefined what it meant to play forward for the Golden Eagles. In 100 career appearances over five seasons, she set program records in goals (67), assists (50), points (184), shots (352), and game-winning goals (19). They were marks in every attacking category that are unlikely to fall anytime soon.

RELENTLESS. Lauren was a model of everything you wanted in a forward. Tenacious, tough, powerful, and relentless, she never gave up on a play or a moment. She was always willing to put her body on the line to get on the end of a ball or to put a defender under pressure. She was known as a beast on the field and a player other teams dreaded facing.

GROWTH. Throughout her career, Lauren got better every season, and averaged 45 points a campaign over her final three seasons. It was a testimony to her mindset and the hours she spent improving on her own, training hard and working when no one was watching. But her most important moment came in her final season. The five-time All-SAC first team selection saved her biggest for last, scoring her 19th career game-winning goal in the NAIA National Championships Round of 16 to advance the Blue and Gold to the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history as JBU won 2-1 over the nation’s top seed and previously undefeated Cumberlands (Ky.).

LEADER. A captain, a model teammate, and a player with an unrelenting work rate. Lauren was never outworked. Not on the field, in the weight room, in recovery, or in the classroom. Her dedication and commitment to excellence, and to growing to the best of her ability, were evident in everything she did. Yet for all her drive and intensity, Lauren could make anyone laugh at the drop of a hat. An amazing mixture of drive, dedication, lightheartedness, and humor, she brought joy to every environment she entered.