EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville cross country coach Don Walters was honored by The Greater Evansville Runners/Walkers Club with the Ray Rayl Award.
 
The prestigious award is given by the club in recognition of dedication of cross country to the Evansville community.
 
There is nobody in the area that has done more to promote the sport than Don Walters.  Since taking over as the head cross country coach at UE, Walters has taken the program to heights never seen before.  He created the UE Cross Country Course on the north side of Evansville in 2002. 
 
Regarded as one of the top courses in the Midwest, the course plays host to two collegiate meets every year and held the 2005 Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
 
Walters has also been pivotal in developing the cross country course at historic Angel Mounds.  Located between Evansville and Newburgh, Walters helped to develop the course, which is set to host several prestigious events in the coming years.
 
Aside from his work on the courses themselves, Walters has built the Purple Aces program into a force in the Missouri Valley Conference.  His squads boasted two of the top runners in the MVC in 2013 with Josh Genet being the top finisher in each race for the men while senior Kelby Jenkins was a 2-time All-MVC runner.
 
He turned the Armory on the UE campus into a multi-purpose facility.  His efforts helped both cross country teams have their first-ever locker rooms.  The facility also houses his offices, the golf practice facility, golf offices and locker rooms as well as an indoor venue used for most other UE sports.