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Next in the Tremendous 24 is the first female athlete I ever interviewed. She's a sharpshooter from Glenwood Landing, NY. She hit countless clutch shots for North Shore High School and collegiately for the New Paltz Hawks, helping them win two SUNYAC titles in their three SUNYAC Championship appearances during her tenure there. During my days announcing at SUNY New Paltz, she had me yelling "For three!" or "Bang!" from downtown as if I was Mike Breen as she drained another three with an opponent's hand in her face. Humble, gracious, and a marksman from downtown.
Meet New Paltz Hawks sharpshooter Jenny Walton.
When I was at New Paltz on campus senior year in 2021-22 (the only year on campus due to COVID), I was honored to be a sports announcer for the women's soccer, women's basketball, and men's basketball teams on top of being a radio personality at the student radio station WFNP. During my time as an announcer, I was able to meet many of the New Paltz Hawks athletes who are a part of the Tremendous 24 series, such as Jenny Walton, Brianna Fitzgerald, Julia Sabatino, Lucas Seyoum, Sean St. Lucia, and Rylan Blondo who have all helped bring championships to the New Paltz Basketball program.
As I was nearing my college graduation, having spent a significant amount of time in the world of sports announcing, I could hear a noticeable difference in my confidence and sharpness during interviews. This growth was particularly evident when I compared my earlier interviews with Anthony Simon and Airion Scarlett to Walton's. Over a year and a half, I had grown more confident and articulate.
Walton, the Glenwood Landing sharpshooter from Long Island, was the first female athlete I had on the show in April 2022 when I interviewed her at SUNY New Paltz. Glenwood is a small town in Nassau County in the greater Glen Cove area that has a population of just over 3,600 people in 2024. Walton's love for basketball, a passion that ignited in third grade when she played for a CYO church team, was a testament to her dedication. She credited a friend's dad for encouraging her to play, a moment that sparked a lifelong love for the game.
"I started playing in, I would say, third grade…I was on a little CYO church team… I actually started loving it from then… I was just always a shooter; I just loved shooting the ball would be in my driveway all the time, and I don't know how I got into it, but I think one of my friend's dads, who's the coach, asked me to play, and then I just started playing, and I fell in love with it the second I started playing which was so much fun."
Walton's journey was not just about basketball. She was a multi-sport athlete, playing lacrosse, softball, soccer, and field hockey. These sports left a profound mark on her, shaping her into the versatile and resilient athlete she would become. She realized her love for basketball was higher than the other sports because she enjoyed going to practice more. She credited field hockey for helping her conditioning to run up and down the basketball court easier and making her tougher mentally, a testament to the depth of her athletic journey.
Walton attended North Shore High School to play for the Vikings as a freshman in 2016-17, where she instantly joined the varsity team that went 30-3 that year and was undefeated in league play (10-0) in the Section 8 ABC-3 League with an undefeated home record of (18-0). Unfortunately, they lost to Elmont in the county title game.
Walton garnered a plethora of experience that year as a freshman on varsity, learning from her mentors and team veterans. She would continue getting reps and shots up that summer heading into her sophomore season as she prepared for a more significant role. The Vikings and Walton picked up from the season prior, going 20-1 her sophomore season, with their only regular season loss coming in a 60-54 overtime loss against her future teammate Brianna Fitzgerald of Island Trees.
The Vikings lost to Elmont for the second consecutive season as things shifted her upperclassmen years. Walton and the Vikings weren't as dominant the next two seasons, going (13-7) overall in her junior year, with COVID cutting short her senior season in 2019-20, missing the playoffs. Walton expressed how tough it was to play her final high school game as she prepared to play at the collegiate level.
"It was sad; it was definitely upsetting, especially not coming off a winning season, but honestly, it made me appreciate everything that I had in high school. I just had so much fun, and I think high school basketball made me love the game more. It made me realize I wanted to play the game in college."
Walton had a very decorated high school career, becoming one of eight female players to score over 1,000 career points at North Shore, but her accolades don't end there. Her full accolades from her high school career while at North Shore are here:
MVP And BCANY All-Region (2020)
All-County Class A (2020)
All-State Class A (2020)
Newsday Top 3 Long Island Three-Point Shooters
Third Team All-State (2019) & #1 three-point shooter on Long Island (66 threes made overall)
Top 10 Nassau County Girls Basketball Players (2019-2020
One of eight females to score 1.000+ career points
Set a school record of 8 three-pointers vs. Lawrence (December 7, 2019)
BCANY All-StateScholar-Athlete (2020)
Adrienne Zisk Award recipient (2019, 2020)
Two-time Academic All-State (2018-2020)
Walton became one of the greats at North Shore, like her idol Alex Cantwell, who also scored over 1,000 career points. Some of the best players she played with and against throughout high school were Fitzgerald and Julia Sabatino (all scoring their 1,000 career points the same week), whom she also played with on the AAU circuit Rising Stars team. After a decorated high school career, it was time for the next significant chapter of her life: college.
Eric Dunetz/Herald
When choosing a college, Walton expressed why she committed to New Paltz to play for coach Jamie Seward over other schools, such as Montclair State, NYU, Geneseo, and Oneonta, to continue her athletic and academic career.
"I think the biggest thing would be competitiveness. My team is really hardcore and all about being competitive and winning. Above all, we all have a common goal, and everyone wants to win. So when I first came here, my coach asked me what I would do, like how far I would go to win a game of Monopoly…I just feel like after that question, he told me all the people's answers, and I just feel like hearing what everyone else had to say…I knew I wanted to come here."
COVID-10 halted Walton's initial college year in 2020-21, being one of the first people on campus during the quarantine. It was tough mentally to do rigorous workouts on the court and weight room but not play for anything, but I knew it would pay off when they played the following season. The team received care packages and would do Zoom yoga workouts since the athletes on campus were mandated to stay in their rooms.
Those tough times and rigorous workouts paid off for the Hawks and Walton as they would post a (20-7) overall record and (14-4) in conference play in 2021-22, where I had a front-row seat to see them play their home regular season games. Walton, Fitzgerald, Sabatino, along with her teammates Lexi Van Vorst and Maddie Gillis, helped lead the Hawks to their sixth SUNYAC title in the program's history in 2022 in a 66-63 victory over their rival in the Cortland Red Dragons in a challenging road environment.
The Hawks would lose in the NCAA tournament 79-66 to Babson College that season, but it was only the beginning for Walton after I interviewed her as her role and game only progressed the next two seasons. In 2022-23, Walton became a regular starter for the Hawks after being their go-to weapon off the bench the previous season en route to being named an All-SUNYAC Third Team selection. The Hawks were even better her junior year, going (24-5) overall and undefeated in the conference at 18-0.
The Hawks again made it to the SUNYAC title game after defeating Geneseo in the semifinal round to rematch against Cortland as the Red Dragons sought revenge. Cortland bested Walton and the Hawks 57-52 in a heartbreaking loss as they tried to defend their SUNYAC crown. Despite losing in the conference title game, they made it a little further in the NCAA that season, defeating Gettysburg College (63-47) in the opening round before getting knocked out by Babson College in the next round once again.
Walton and the Hawks would lose some key players the following year due to the graduation of Gillis, Van Vorst, Graci Seravillo, and Vickie Venus in 2023, which led to an even more prominent role in her senior season. The Hawks were thirsty for blood that year, feeling the sting of losing the SUNYAC title to their rival Cortland; even worse, it occurred on their home court. The Hawks took off that next season, and so did Walton, who had the best season of her college career.
She averaged a career-high 14.7 points per game, scoring 412 points in the season while converting on 74 threes and shooting 35% from downtown en route to being named All-SUNYAC First Team. Walton and Fitzgerald helped lead the Hawks in scoring. They formed a dynamic duo, becoming the first pair of Hawk teammates named D3Hoops All-Region since 2019, with Walton making the second team and Fitzgerald making the first team.
Their All-Region seasons helped propel the Hawks to a 25-4 overall record and 17-1 in conference play. The Hawks steamrolled their way through conference play en route to reclaiming the SUNYAC title in 2024 over No.3 Geneseo in a 52-47 victory, in which Walton still scored 13 points despite struggling with her shot and recording two steals. After last year's heartbreak, the Hawks rejoiced on their home court to win their fourth SUNYAC title in five seasons since 2019 and seventh overall in the program.
Outside of basketball, Walton loves exercising and hanging out with family and friends during her free time. She also loves country music, including music artists Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, who she’s a diehard fan of. Her top five NBA players of all time are Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Shaquille O’Neal, with Jordan being her GOAT.
Walton majored in biology and graduated from New Paltz in May 2024. She wants to be a physician assistant (PA). Today, she is taking significant steps toward that reality as a PCT for a hospital in Poughkeepsie as she applies to PA schools.
When I asked Walton about her legacy, she emphasized that she wants people to remember how she made them feel and their positive attitude.
“Well, I feel like one of the biggest things I always go by is I want people to remember the way that I made them feel and my positive attitude…I love helping people, and I love, just love being there for people, so I want them to remember the way I made them feel… And obviously as a shooter, hopefully (laughs).”
From a small town in Glenwood Landing with just over 3,600 people, Walton’s relentless work ethic, maturity, awareness, and unselfishness helped the Hawks formulate a dynasty, cementing herself as one of the most outstanding winners and players in program history. Her grace and compassion told others off the court, which makes her a unique human being who loves to help others and make the world a better place.
Walton’s ability to set goals, such as scoring 1,000 points at North Shore or pursuing her dream of becoming a PA, shows her drive to manifest her dreams. She’s a fiery competitor who will do whatever it takes to succeed, which is why she embodies Greatness Within.
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