USA Field Hockey | Turf or Ice? Ohio State’s Webster Does Both

By the time she was seven years old, Makenna Webster knew what a stick in gloved hands felt like, how the cold air felt on her lungs when she was tired, and the sounds her skate blades made across a sheet of ice. She grew up playing ice hockey because her cousin and older brother played. And from an early age, Makenna knew that ice hockey was something she would want to do for a long time. But a year later, she was in gym class when she discovered a new passion for hockey – this time, field hockey.

“One day in gym class, my teacher was a field hockey coach at Gateway in Saint Louis, and during gym class we were playing and she told me I had a lot of potential.”

From that moment on, Makenna grew to love the two sports, and dedicated herself to excelling in both.

When Makenna got to high school, she knew she wanted to play ice hockey in college, and Wisconsin was her top choice. She even left her high school in Missouri to attend a boarding school, Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault. Minn., where she was able to focus on ice hockey. The one caveat of both the boarding school and Wisconsin – they didn’t have a field hockey team.

Makenna’s time as a Badger was more than exceptional. In her freshman season, she played in all 21 matches, helped lead her team to an NCAA National Championship, and was named the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player. But after two years of playing ice hockey at Wisconsin, Makenna felt that the chapter of her life that included playing field hockey had not yet closed. So, she entered the transfer portal.

“I really wanted to go to Wisconsin, that was kind of my top choice. And then went for two years, and then was kind of thinking about it, and realized if I had the opportunity to play both sports, I should try to take it. And from there, I went in the portal and looked at a few schools, and then decided Ohio State was the place.”

Now a graduate student at The Ohio State University, Makenna has thrived both on the field and ice for the Buckeyes. She currently serves as a captain of the field hockey team and an assistant captain for the ice hockey team. Last fall, the field hockey team finished 14-6, picking up the most wins in a season since 2010. Makenna led the team in points (47) with 17 goals and 13 assists. In March of this year, the ice hockey team defeated Wisconsin to win the National title, with Makenna named to the Frozen Four All-Tournament Team.

As many student-athletes know,…