Webster To Swim At Westminster College

By: Ed Weaver  /  May 31, 2023  /  Photo: Jill Gastrock

Senior Hayne Webster has committed to swim at Division III Westminster College. He made the announcement at a signing event on Friday, May 26.

Webster was Wellsboro's only male swimmer this year and placed 3rd in both the 100 Fly (57.37) and the 100 Breast (1:06.90) at this year's District IV Championships.

Webster, who has been accepted into Westminster's Honors College, will be studying history with a pre-law track. While at Westminster he'll be participating in the 1650 (mile), 1000, and 500 freestyle and the 400 IM and 200 IM events.

"I chose Westminster because of both the academic and athletic atmosphere," he said. "I visited many other schools but no place felt like it could be home quite like Westminster. I met with the pre-law and history faculty and they all seemed very interested in having me attend Westminster, which was definitely a huge factor. I was also considering a few other schools as well, but the financial aid package made it clear that Westminster was the right choice."

Another thing Webster liked about Westminster was its size.

"The town of New Wilmington is so similar to Wellsboro, and the community is just as tightly-knit."

Webster also had the idea of swimming collegiately in the back of head all throughout high school.

"Once I decide to do something, I want to do it to the best of my ability. Not having a pool at the high school has definitely made me manage my time very well. I remember nights driving to and from practices with my mom while trying to do homework. I have no doubt that I'll be able to handle being a collegiate athlete."

"The Wellsboro program operates by the sheer will of the swimmers that participate," coach Rebecca Dodson-Webster said. "Hayne is used to traveling an hour every night from October to March just to train, so I don't expect he will have any trouble walking across campus to the pool. Wellsboro's program has taught him to be responsible for his own success and development as a swimmer. Hayne is highly motivated and goal-oriented. I knew he was serious about swimming years ago when he started posting lists of qualifying times next to the mirror in his room. Since Wellsboro doesn't have a pool, what I will remember most is writing workouts and finding pools and teams where he could train. Hayne has had many coaches throughout his swimming career, starting with Paul Kurtz and the summer Parks and Recreation team, the coaches at Northern Tier Aquatics Ice Busters USA Swim Team, and the excellent coaches at the Jersey Shore YMCA team. Fortunately, all of those groups worked together and offered the best coaching experiences."

WellsboroAthletics.com would like to congratulate Hayne on continuing both his academic and athletic careers this fall.