Scholar Stories: Walker Taking Discipline From Wrestling Mat to Medical Field
1/28/2026 3:15:00 PM | Wrestling
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories.
By Jonathan Franchi
In a household with nine children, there is rarely a dull moment. Coming from a family rooted in the sport of basketball, Joseph Walker gained plenty of reps in the driveway against his siblings. His mother loved the sport of basketball, so Walker naturally played. When he was in seventh grade, a football coach approached him and told him he would be a good fit for the wrestling team. However, Walker insisted that his mother likely would not let him. Eventually, he was convinced to try out, and his wrestling career began -- but he did not leave basketball behind. From seventh grade up until high school, Walker attended wrestling practice after school and then went straight to basketball practice afterward. Attending back-to-back practices for a time showed commitment and discipline, traits vital to the sport of wrestling. As Walker started his high school career, it became clear to him that wrestling was his calling.
"With the sport of wrestling, there's always something you have to do to get better," Walker said. "And, your preparation will pretty much speak for itself when you're out there on that mat. I just like the grind of it, just going in there day in and day out, and just having to put your head down and just do the work."
Originally from the state of Michigan, Walker's family relocated to Indiana when he was 10 years old, but he always considered Michigan home. After enjoying a great high school career, capped off with an Indiana state title at 182 pounds as a senior, Walker still had his sights set on returning to Michigan to be close to his family.
"It was one of those things of just wanting to come back home, closer to my grandparents and everything," said Walker. "Growing up here, I kind of always considered myself a Michigan man, you know, and with my grandma living an hour away, that was just something I held dear to my heart. So, our academics are great, and then I also wanted to go somewhere where I could get better at wrestling, and (the University of) Michigan was that place."
Walker is now in his sixth year at Michigan after redshirting his sophomore year. Improving his performance each year, Walker is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw him post an 11-7 record, win a Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award and claim the 174-pound title at the Clarion Open. Now, Walker is looking to use his leadership and experience to make the most of his final year in Ann Arbor.
"I think earlier, coming out of high school, I was trying to be tactical, maybe holding back some," said Walker. "But I think over the years, it's been more of just, like, going out there and just wrestling. I think sometimes, in the past, I would definitely overcomplicate things. Now, I'm just telling myself, you know, I've been doing this for, I don't know how many years, so just go out there, wrestle, and have fun. And for my style, I just like to push forward. I like hand fighting. I like, you know, getting in people's faces and just trying to exhaust myself as well as exhaust my opponent."
There is no underestimating the physical exertion that is required in wrestling. From tracking nutrition to maintain weight, to hardcore training to build muscle and improve strength, to rigorous, intense practices, extreme discipline is required to have a successful wrestling career. For Walker, his wrestling discipline has helped him thrive in other aspects of his life.
"I think just building those habits helps in all ways," said Walker. "My coach will say, 'Wrestling will probably be the toughest thing you ever do in your life.' I think with that discipline, with me knowing that wrestling is tough with eating, workouts, keeping my weight in check, I think it helps me prioritize my life like that as well. If I make it a habit and a discipline in my life, I know, outside of wrestling, it'll have to be the same with my academics, same with my day-to-day life. So, wrestling has just helped me be more oriented with my time and focus as well."
Earning a Biomolecular Science undergraduate degree, Walker exhibited the same discipline in the classroom that he has in wrestling. He plans to take the MCAT this summer to attend medical school, as he aspires to be an anesthesiologist after graduating. Walker has had the opportunity to shadow some anesthesiologists, sitting in on open-heart surgeries and eye surgeries, helping him get a better understanding of the role.
"I like the idea of being able to control the patients while they're in surgery, keeping them under, not making them feel the pain. I think that's the area where I want to pursue," he said.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Walker is taking classes in the School of Social Work to better round out his overall professional profile. From his job-shadowing experience, Walker realized the importance of building relationships and chemistry with patients to make them feel comfortable and at ease, leading to his desire to take social work classes.
"So, with social work, I was able to, especially last semester, learn about how patient care and relationship building will be a big aspect in my career," Walker said. "It's important to have that outlook of understanding they are a client, but realizing they're also a person at the deepest level. So, I think that was the biggest reason for why I chose social work, because I think it's just important to have that relationship side. I know a lot of times, doctors can just be doctors and be hard-nosed, but I think it's important to build that relationship and have that structure."
Walker understands he has grown as a wrestler and as a person. Living on his own, away from his tight-knit, large family environment, Michigan has provided him the opportunity to evolve and deal with adversity. Like any athlete, he has experienced challenging times through the sport of wrestling that have better prepared him for his life ahead. In Walker's eyes, he knows his values and trusts his faith, allowing him to find joy in the struggle. When his days on the mat come to an end, Walker will carry the same discipline, resilience and faith into the field of medicine, a new challenge that he is fully prepared to face.
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