Nearly 30 months after first arriving on campus Sunday, Hayden Walters charged from the Cliff Keen Arena tunnel, eager to finally make his University of Michigan debut. 

After taking a medical redshirt during the 2023-24 season after suffering an ACL tear and being relegated to open tournaments while using his traditional redshirt last season, Walters took his place in the starting lineup at 197 pounds for the Wolverines' season-opening dual against VMI.

The four-time Oregon state champion and one of the nation's top Class of 2023 recruits wasted little time taking control against the Keydets' Toby Schoffstall, surging to a 4-0 lead after the opening period.

Walters stretched his advantage with a takedown, reversal and two back points in the second. He finished off Schoffstall by riding him out the entire third period, racking up 2:17 in riding time for a 9-1 win. 

"The whole moment, the atmosphere felt pretty electric to me because I had been waiting so long to finally step out on the mat for my first (official) match at Michigan," said Walters, currently ranked #32 nationally. "The crowd was incredible and my teammates were really happy for me. I loved the whole experience."

Walters was one of six wrestlers starting their first dual in a Michigan singlet, but the new-look lineup had little trouble shutting out VMI, 45-0. It was the most points the Wolverines have scored in a dual since blanking Oregon State 48-0 in 2017. 

In the coming weeks, Walters intends to turn his promising start into something more. 

"I felt pretty good about the match but wish I could have gotten my offense going more and showcased more of my skills on my feet," he said. "I usually never feel I've displayed enough offense. I'd like to show more of it and shoot more, but I'm probably most proud of having the strength to ride him out the third period."

Walters seemed poised to compete for the starting role at 197 pounds in the fall of 2023, but that opportunity vanished when he suffered the ACL tear in June while competing in the U20 World Team Trials. 

He underwent surgery roughly a month later. 

In between, Walters somehow completed a scheduled move from his native Oregon into a house in Ann Arbor. 

"Luckily, my parents were with me because it was kind of hard to set up a bed and stuff like that with one good knee and trying to get around campus on crutches was no fun either," he recalled. "Obviously, it was devasting and felt like the end of the world for a little bit, but all the coaches and the guys were really supportive. It was hard to be away from something I love to do for that long."

A resilient Walters began working his way back to the thing he loves and resumed participating in drills eight months after surgery. He returned to live wrestling roughly six weeks later, but 2024-25 was not going to be Walters' time, either. 

With three-time All-American and two-time U23 World medalist Jacob Cardenas joining the Wolverines for the season and holding down the 197-pound spot, coaches opted to redshirt Walters.

Spending the season preparing himself to succeed Cardenas, Walters went 15-5 in open tournaments with five major decisions and a fall. He finished with season with six straight wins, including a 6-3 decision over NCAA qualifier and Mid-American Conference champion Brock Zurawski (Rider), now ranked #19 at 197. 

"I was feeling good about how I competed in the open events and the freestyle tournaments I wrestled in (U.S. Open and U23 World Team Trials) really helped me as well because I went against really tough guys like (four-time All-American) Dustin Plott," Walters said. "That was great experience for me." 

Walters reached the round of 16 at the U.S. Open and went 7-1, finishing third at 92 kilograms at the U23 World Team Trials. 

Working with Cardenas and Michigan legend and 2023 Hodge Trophy winner Mason Parris ever since his return to the mat has also been important for Walters' development. Parris has won a World Championships bronze medal and wrestled in the 2024 Olympics since his collegiate career ended.

Parris and Cardenas are both members of the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, also based at Michigan. 

"Right from the time Jacob joined our team, he became the most talented wrestler I've ever trained with on a consistent basis," Walters said. "He's super quick and really explosive, so learning to deal with that helped me a lot along with trying to move a guy so strong and big for his weight class. That really helped improve my hand fighting and other fundamentals."

And Parris?

"Mason is just a big-ass dude and learning how to handle and try to move someone that big and strong was very good for me, too," Walters said. 

Walters has also worked with renowned Ann Arbor-based personal trainer Amir Rad ever since he began recovering from the ACL tear. Rad has also helped Parris and several other Michigan wrestlers recover from injuries. 

"I started working with Amir to stabilize my knee and strengthen my leg after the surgery, but after that I was like 'What about the other parts of my body?'" Walters said. "One of my biggest focuses before this season was becoming bigger and stronger because I felt that has been lacking in my wrestling and I've had to use technique and speed to gain an edge. Overall, Amir has been great for my conditioning and strength training."

Walters' father, Denny, an Oregon state champion and former Southern Oregon University standout, began coaching wrestling soon after graduating from college. Hayden Walters' wrestling journey began when he started accompanying his father to practices in the second grade.

"I've been around the sport forever and my dad would drop me off at football practice before going to wrestling practice," Hayden recalled. "One day, I asked if I could go with him and try wrestling. He said OK, but warned me it was going to be tougher than football and would take a serious commitment."

Walters began considering wrestling beyond high school after starting to train with future University of Indiana wrestler Santos Cantu during his freshman season at Crescent Valley High School. 

"Santos took me under his wing and we worked very well together," Walters said. "I could tell I was getting better because of that. Then I beat a nationally-ranked guy and ended the season with a state title. Santos was getting Division I college offers and I gained the confidence that I could do that as well."

After also considering Cornell and Penn State, Walters committed to Michigan soon after his junior season. 

"I took a long, hard look at all the pros and cons of each school and it came down to which school was the best place for my academic and athletic goals," said Walters, an economics major. "The clear answer was Michigan. I was really impressed by all the great facilities for learning, the coaching staff and everything about how the wrestling program is run." 

Competition ramps up significantly for Walters and the Wolverines this weekend when they compete in the inaugural National Duals Invitational in Tulsa, Okla. 

Michigan faces Arizona State Saturday, which, for Walters, likely means a date with #28 Colton Hawks, a three-time NCAA qualifier. 

Lehigh or Nebraska will be next for the Wolverines if they get past the Sun Devils. In that case, Walters will take on either Nebraska All-American Camden McDanel (#7) or #20 J.T. Davis of Lehigh.

All of the 16 teams in the field are guaranteed at least two matches with prize money going to the top eight teams. 

Walters' goals for the season are straightforward.

"I want to be standing as high on the NCAA podium as possible when the season ends while keeping my head afloat when it comes to school," he said.

School should not be an issue for the 2024-25 Academic All-Big Ten pick.

Lemley Redshirts

With four-time NCAA qualifier and 2024 All-American Dylan Ragusin moving up to 141 pounds and the addition of three-time All-American Lachlan McNeil at 149, Michigan coaches decided the time was right for two-time NCAA qualifier Sergio Lemley to redshirt this season. 

Lemley, a junior, spent the past two seasons at 141, racking up a 42-20 record with half of his wins coming via technical fall (13), major decision (five) or pin (three). As a true freshman, he stunned three-time All-American Real Woods 14-2. Woods suffered only two other bonus-point losses during his career. 

Lemley also placed fourth and fifth at the last two Big Ten Tournaments.

He has moved up to 149 and will stay sharp by wrestling in open tournaments this season. Lemley went 3-0 in winning the Michigan State Open Saturday, outscoring opponents by a combined 15-6 margin. He shut out Illinois' Michael Gioffre, #28 in the current 149-pound rankings, 3-0, in the title match.