At the time, Bryson Walters didn’t need any more motivation.

He recently recalled the 110-meter hurdles at the District 11 championships his sophomore year when teammate junior Justin Herrmann edged him by four-hundreds of a second for the gold medal.

Herrmann made the trip to states for the event - Walters did not.

That result would be a springboard for Walters’ final two years in the Palmerton track program in which he gained his share of top finishes. It would also prove to be a stepping stone toward another likely successful chapter of his life.

For his efforts in the regular and postseason this past season, Walters is the 2024 Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Male Track Athlete of the Year.

Looking back, the recent graduate realized that the narrow loss provided a push for his final two years of high school track.

“Justin was a great athlete and a great teammate,” reflected Walters. “I had beaten him most of the regular season in the event and I really wanted to win districts badly.

“But I had to get over it. I locked in and trained hard. I knew I had to push myself even further for my final two years.”

Walters did just that.

At the recent PIAA championships in Shippensburg, Walters garnered a sixth-place medal in the 300 hurdles and a fourth-place medal as part of the relay team.

Palmerton track coach Mike Gombert marveled at Walters’ evolution over the years in both the 110 and 300 meter hurdles, as well as his role on the Bombers 400 meter relay team. He cited Walters’ seven postseason medals – two at leagues, three at districts, and two at states – as a high-water mark for him as well as the program.

“He’s come a long way since his freshman year,” said Gombert. “He took it to heart after he didn’t make states his sophomore year. Bryson worked hard through his junior year, and then he really brought it all together this year.”

Gombert cited Walters for being the team’s leading individual scorer the past two seasons - a stretch in which the boys’ team went 21-1 in meets.

“Bryson is a high-caliber athlete with a lot of talent and confidence” said Gombert. “He did play football his freshman year, and he could probably play some other sports just as well. He’s one of those athletes that comes around every so often.”

Hurdles coach Andre Nosti saw Walters as the complete package of grit and will.

“His season was a culmination of what I saw during the previous three years,” said Nosti. “He was determined to a fault. Whether he was sick, or hurt, or cold and soaked in rain while everyone else went inside, he would do any rep I asked of him and often more.

“He would always come back wanting to work on what would help him reach that next level, the next PR. Bryson demanded perfection of himself, not just to win, but to be better. For me, he was the epitome of the process that is the unheralded and unglamorous truth of track and field. His attitude made him a better runner and me a better coach.”

Walters decided to follow in the footstep of his father, Bryan - a 1990 graduate of Pleasant Valley High School - who was also a hurdler.

“My dad has been the biggest influence in my career. He coached me up from when I was little, and I learned everything from him. Before each race, he would give me a confidence boost.”

Walters doesn’t believe he is in the shadow of his cousin Nataly - who this season won her third straight state long jump gold medal, and second consecutive state triple jump gold medal.

“Nah, we really don’t spend a lot of time together at meets,” he said. “It’s super cool to see what she has done, and it’s in the family. We’re both proud of each other for what we have accomplished.”

Even though there has been a treasure trove of moments in his career, Walters’ most memorable one was at states this season when he set a new personal record of 39.22 in the 300 hurdle preliminaries.

“That was huge,” he said. “It really made me proud of myself that I could hit that mark. That will always stay with me.”

Through the years, Walters played baseball and football in his freshman year at Palmerton, but soon realized track would be his sport.

As talented as he is in the sport, Walters’ track and field days appear to be over. He won’t attend college next fall, but instead will devote himself to a real estate venture with a family member with hopes of someday becoming an entrepreneur.

Like track, Walters said he will employ an aggressive, focused approach that he hopes can lead to similar success.

“I have an older cousin who has worked in real estate the past two years,” said Walters. “It’s a really interesting field to me, and I would like to get into running my own business someday.

“I know it will take the same kind of effort and willpower that I used in my track career.”

Seeing how successful that approach has been the past four years, Walters would be silly to attempt to do it any other way.