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The flood of emotions hit Makenna Webster like a tidal wave.
Her longtime dream, once unattainable due to the lack of professional women’s ice hockey opportunities in the U.S., became a reality.
Webster was surrounded by her family and friends, including both her Ohio State field hockey and ice hockey teammates inside her Columbus, Ohio, apartment when she got the call that would change her life.
The Sirens drafted Webster in the third round (No. 17 overall) in the 2025 PWHL draft.
Webster soon after found herself staring down at what she called “one of the hardest decisions” she ever made.
“Growing up, ice hockey was always the dream, that was my passion,” Webster told The Post. “And then later in life, field hockey kind of came around, and more opportunities being on teams with that. I love representing my country and wanting to play for the national team. And the goal is to go to the Olympics.”
U.S. women’s field hockey coach David Passmore let Webster know he has a lot of belief in her and invited her to join the program as soon as possible. That would mean delaying her PWHL career in pursuit of another major ambition.
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For someone who always struck a perfect balance between both sports, Webster now had to choose one to commit to full-time. It was either field hockey and the chance to potentially represent her home country at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, or joining the Sirens, which also meant playing alongside close friend Casey O’Brien.
She picked field hockey.
This summer, though, Webster decided it was time to get back on the ice.
She signed a three-year contract with the Sirens, she exclusively told The Post this week. She’ll join a young core featuring Sarah Fillier, Kristýna Kaltounková and Casey O’Brien as New York hopes to make the franchise’s first postseason appearance.
General manager Pascal Daoust knew there was a risk she’d take time away from the Sirens in pursuit of her dream of making the U.S. field hockey roster for the 2028 Games. But he and the rest of the organization were eager to work with her.
“I won’t surprise anyone by talking about her speed and competitiveness that she brings,” said Daoust, who gushed about Webster’s ability to glide on the ice. “She’s a player that, even if you think that you can beat her with deceptions, she’s gonna be back in your face. She works hard with the puck, she works out without the puck, she’s someone who will always be active on the ice.”
Webster is rare as a Painite gem.
Amid a trend in which athletes specialize in one sport at young ages, Webster never limited herself.
Ice and field hockey. Soccer. Track. Basketball. You name it.
“As I got older, I still couldn’t decide to play one,” she said.
Remarkably, she excelled at ice and field hockey.
Webster initially began her college ice hockey career at the University of Wisconsin. She transferred to Ohio State a year later to become a two-sport athlete. She’s a two-time NCAA ice hockey champion with Wisconsin in 2021 and Ohio State in 2024, and a three-time All-American in field hockey. She represented the U.S. in both sports as a teenager.
It’s a common misconception that field hockey is just ice hockey on grass. But Webster said the sports are completely different. The stickhandling and dribbling are dissimilar. Sure, she said the hand-eye coordination and quick hands translate to both sports, but the motions and muscles used are different.
At Ohio State, her trainers created a hybrid workout where she could train for both sports simultaneously. She worked on her time management skills to ensure she was pouring as much as she could into every task.
She couldn’t do it alone.
“Honestly, it was really my teammates that would keep me going, would help me out if needed with anything,” Webster said. “Their support truly allowed me to be successful as well to manage everything. And without them, I wouldn’t be able to, wouldn’t have been able to do that, do both sports and be successful in both.”
Webster spent last year in Charlotte, N.C., training with U.S. field hockey. Though that was her focus, she also coached a local youth hockey team, which allowed her ice time.
Her ice hockey training increased dramatically in recent months when she decided she wanted to play next season with the Sirens.
“I was in Australia having some conversations, and I realized I think taking a step back … realizing that there’s two years until the Olympics, maybe playing one season and trying to go back would be the goal,” Webster said. “And let’s say if I don’t make the national team or don’t make the Olympic roster, I’m glad I still played a season of hockey because it would be easier to go back if needed.”
Webster is not on the country’s FIH World Cup roster for next month’s tournament, but she remains an Olympic hopeful and on Passmore’s radar.
In the meantime, Daoust is happy to have her and believes she’ll fit right in with the Sirens.
“I’m a strong believer in multisport development,” he said. “When you have the opportunity to work with these athletes, they definitely bring consistency, they bring a DNA of someone who is not only talented but committed to being the best that she can be. … That’s part of [the] culture that you want to bring to an organization.”
