Antioch senior Webb stands to become school's first 13-time varsity letter-winner

Hoping that 13 will be your lucky number in a year like 2020 might not seem like a sound strategy.

But Antioch senior Hailey Webb is hoping nonetheless. She'd be thrilled to be known as her school's first 13-time varsity letter winner athlete, male or female.

Webb has been a varsity athlete in three sports since her freshman year: field hockey, basketball and softball. When the IHSA shifted the fall schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sports like field hockey got moved to early 2021, Webb decided to go out for tennis in the fall, even though she had never before picked up a racket until a week before tryouts.

Turns out, Webb made the varsity tennis team and completed the season last month. Provided she can still play field hockey, basketball and softball in the IHSA's modified seasons, she will make athletic history at Antioch High School, and 13 truly will prove lucky for her.

"Back when we were going in for school, my athletic director came up to me and told me not to get sick or miss any time because I needed to break the record and become the first one to get to 13 letters," Webb said. "There have been 12-letter athletes and three-sport athletes before, and there are awards for that. But no one has gotten 13.

"I think it's really cool, and definitely something I'd never thought I'd have the chance to get. When I was a freshman, I thought that maybe I'd have a chance at varsity softball, but that was it. But I'm here now."

And the journey isn't over yet.

Next level will be all softball

Webb will be continuing her athletic career next year on the softball team at Appalachian State. She is a catcher and has played a lot of serious travel ball with a team based in Wisconsin called GTS Elite.

When she began getting letters from college recruiters last year, she reached out to the coaches at Appalachian State. Her grandfather Terry lives in a North Carolina mountain house near Appalachian State and Webb has always enjoyed her visits there.

"My grandpa is about an hour from campus and it is so nice there," Webb said. "My travel coach is also friends with one of Appalachian State's recruiters, so it all kind of worked out.

"Appalachian State is my kind of environment. I'm an outdoorsy person. I like being outside and hiking in the mountains. And I really like the school and program. It's an up-and-coming program and the coach has really turned the program around in the last five or six years."

Webb was in T-ball as a young kid and was playing competitive travel softball by third grade. She was defensive player of the year at Antioch as a freshman and was all-conference as a sophomore.

"I'm super aggressive," Webb said, describing her style as a catcher. "I'm always trying to throw off people on base. I think that comes from being in a family where everyone is competitive and aggressive. All the aunts and uncles and cousins, we all play sports and we don't take it lightly."

A quick study

Webb's reputation as an aggressive competitor suits her well in basketball, where she is the Sequoits' point guard. Last season, she was named team most valuable player.

"I'm aggressive and I don't give up easily," Webb said. "I won't let someone beat me. I've been playing since fifth grade and basketball is one of my favorite sports and everyone in my house plays."

Meanwhile, no one in the family played field hockey before Webb tried it her freshman year. She had played volleyball in middle school but wanted to do something different in high school and decided on a whim to try out for field hockey.

The first time she picked up a stick was literally at the tryouts.

"I pick up on things pretty quick," Webb said. "My coach told me that she liked me because I am fast, and that she could teach me everything else."

By her junior season last fall, Webb, a midfielder, was one of Antioch's top scorers.

Webb picked up tennis fast, too.

She played doubles this fall with Hailey Russo, a volleyball player turned tennis player who also was looking for a sport to do in the fall.

"We actually did pretty well," Webb said. "We got third in the conference tournament. I had so much fun. Tennis is so laid back and I like that. It's unlike any other sport I've played."

And there have been a few. Webb is just hoping that she gets a chance to play all of her other sports this school year.

"It's a challenge to play three sports every year and people are always telling me they don't know how I do it," Webb said. "But I'm the type of person who can't sit still. I need to be busy. I'm glad I did it this way.

"I think it's good to be involved in a lot of things and the rewarding part is to look back and see all the progress I've made."