Most often the rosters of varsity teams at the college level are filled with high school athletes; those that began at an early age picking up a tennis racket as a 6 year old, or pulling on their first batting helmet in tee-ball with moms and dads directing traffic on the field like season veterans.

The Division III philosophy allows for a different type of student-athlete, someone such as Micah Walter.

Growing up Walter had not been part of organized athletics, instead focusing on music and the violin. As he was home schooled his options to try out for team sports were somewhat limited. But something about fencing piqued Walter's interest even before he enrolled at Haverford, and his plan to follow through on that interest became a reality during his very first days at the College.

Meeting part of the physical education requirement was just a bonus for Walter as he enrolled in a fencing class in the fall of 2009, and the class offering became the first step to an unlikely athletic career.

Head coach Chris Spencer led a few of the varsity fencers in tutoring Walter and his classmates and Spencer then encouraged Walter to continue his interest at the varsity level.

"It is a well-known trope among fencing coaches, particularly those from Eastern Europe, that proficiency in music, and particularly in violin, can be a huge advantage in quick proficiency in fencing," said Spencer. "Micah was not the largest or most coordinated in the PE class but he did have two things going for him—an innate understanding of rhythm and tempo change, and the ability to focus his will on learning something challengingly new."

Fencing, though, quickly became a test for Walter in more ways than one.

"Quite often (fencing) tested not only my time management skills, but also my physical willpower," said Walter, who reflected on the change from very little athletic experience to participating in a program which practiced almost daily and spanned both semesters of the academic year at Haverford.

In the long run, the practice and competition schedules actually complemented Walter's academic efforts.

"Sometimes, the last thing you feel like doing when you're really busy is going to practice, but in reality, practice is the best thing to clear your head and prepare you for your work," stated Walter. He offers that there were times he didn't feel as ready to tackle homework on days without practice as those when he labored in the fencing salle on drills and mock duels against teammates.

The Division III model of activity and academic balance clearly worked to the benefit of this particular student-athlete.

Walter plans on seeking a tutoring job after graduation while preparing for graduate school. "My father is a teacher," said Walter, "and my goal is to be a college professor." Music has been a constant among his interests while at Haverford, but computer science and linguistics have worked their way into the possibilities for Walter's future.

In addition to Walter, Thursday's banquet also honored 15 of Haverford's most distinguished scholar-athletes for their own accomplishments and as representatives of the many student-athletes who have excelled during their time at Haverford:

• Flora Berklein (women's cross country, track)
• Justin Coulter (baseball)
• John Cummings (men's squash, tennis)
• Kate Donches (women's tennis)
• Abby Flynn (women's tennis)
• Geoffrey Henderson (men's soccer)
• Shannon Horn (women's fencing, lacrosse)
• Matt Johnson (men's soccer)
• Colin Lubelczyk (men's soccer)
• David Robinson (men's soccer)
• Matt Romei (men's tennis)
• Elliott Schwartz (men's cross country, track)
• Daniel Stackman (men's cross country, track)
• Nick Trickett (cricket)
• Lawrence Wang (men's fencing)

 The William W. Ambler '45 Award honors the senior athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average. To win the Ambler Award, a student must have participated and started in at least one sport throughout his/her college career, and demonstrated commitment, sportsmanship and leadership. Vice President for Finance and Administration G. Richard Wynn suggested the idea of a scholar-athlete award in 1998; the Senior Administration and Athletic Staff eagerly agreed.

Ambler epitomized the scholar-athlete. He graduated from Haverford in 1949 with honors in mathematics and was a starting tackle on the last undefeated football team in 1942. Despite his lack of bulk, a teammate once said of him, "When Bill hit you, you stayed hit." Originally in the Class of 1945, Bill left Haverford to perform alternative service as a conscientious objector in World War II.

After graduation, Ambler taught math at Oakwood School and was an admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania when Director of Admission Archibald MacIntosh '21 asked him to return to Haverford as his assistant in 1956. Ambler was named Associate Director of Admission in 1960, then Director upon "Mac's" retirement in 1965. He himself retired in 1987, was honored by Haverford with an Honorary Degree in 1991, and died in 1995 soon after his 50th class reunion. No one who knew him will ever forget Bill's piercing blue eyes, his spiritual depth, his interest in everyone he interviewed, and his love of Haverford.