All Kylie Waltermeyer knows how to do is win.
In her four-year career at Tumwater High School from 2020 to 2023, she helped the Thunderbirds hoist back-to-back district championship trophies as they won 42 games in her final two years.
Now a senior at the College of Idaho, an NAIA school in the Cascade Collegiate Conference in Caldwell, Idaho, Waltermeyer has sparked a turnaround from a 10-19 season as a freshman in 2023-24 to a 22-9 campaign as a junior in 2025-26.
Waltermeyer ranks ninth on the all-time Yotes three-point field goals list with 119 and 11th in games started at 85. She’s also 156 points away from becoming the eighth Yote to ever surpass 1,000 career points, and as her scoring average has increased each of her first three years, that shouldn’t be difficult to achieve.
Waltermeyer, who has started all 85 games she’s played in college, averaged 8.5 points as a freshman, 8.9 as a sophomore and then broke out with 12.0 points per game last season.
“I absolutely love where I’m at. I love the College of Idaho. I love my coach, and I love the girls that I’m surrounded with,” Waltermeyer said. “Having that opportunity to be in a family environment helps any girl when it comes to playing a sport with confidence, with support, and knowing that your team’s got your back. It’s a big difference when you have that compared to when you don’t.”
Waltermeyer recorded career highs in rebounds per game (6.0), assists per game (1.8) and 3-point percentage (41.2%) as a senior. Her clip behind the arc ranked third in the CCC and in the top 40 in the entire NAIA this past season.
Waltermeyer was locked into the College of Idaho and its women’s basketball program from the moment she was recruited as a junior in high school. Most prep athletes enter the recruiting process wide-eyed, but she knew what she was looking for, and the Yotes fit the bill.
“I was pretty adamant on what I wanted and what I didn’t want,” Waltermeyer said. “It was just a feel of all the visits that I went on of how the coaches felt, how the environment felt and how the girls felt.”
Waltermeyer already has two bachelor’s degrees from the College of Idaho in business and in communications, and she’s pursuing her master’s degree in organizational leadership as she seeks a job in finance after graduation.
That family atmosphere was prevalent for Waltermeyer during her time at Tumwater. That bond with her teammates still stands years later, as evidenced by her teaming up with sister Aly Waltermeyer and Aubrey Amendala during the Capital City 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament in Tenino this weekend.
“I remember just how much of a family that program was, between the coaches and the players and everyone involved,” Kylie Waltermeyer said. “It was just a big family, and I think that’s what meant the most to all of us.”
Waltermeyer is one of several athletes from those Tumwater teams that went on to compete collegiately, including Amendala, a former EvCo MVP and all-area selection who signed with Utah Tech.
Natalie Sumrok played basketball at Western Colorado University. Regan Brewer was a starter for Lower Columbia’s basketball team in 2025-26, and Isabella Lund, following a four-year playing career at Montana Western, is now an assistant coach for the Bulldogs. Cierra Larson also played hoops at Centralia College.
Cadynce Lee and Rhylee Beebe, who were both freshmen on the 2023 district title team, are headed to Green River College and Cal State Fullerton, respectively.
Not all of the district title-winning T-Birds played college basketball, however. Aly Waltermeyer was a softball player at Pacific University. Lily McCauley competed in golf for Washington State University and Brigham Young University, and Zoe Fields has played both softball and tennis at the University of Mount Saint Vincent.
