Senior Hayley Womack’s career as an ISU athlete should have ended in the fall of 2014. Fate had a different plan for her.

Before this season, the last time Womack laced up her softball cleats was when she was in the eighth grade.

“Softball was the first sport I played,” Womack said. “Both my parents wanted me to play softball, but instead I chose to pursue soccer.”

Soccer was the right choice for Womack, as she accumulated nine goals throughout her collegiate career and started all 18 games for the Cyclones last season.

Rewind to last fall, during the soccer season. Softball coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler was looking to add some speed at the base runner position on her team.

The primary soccer and softball seasons never conflicted with one another, so Gemeinhardt-Cesler thought it would be a good idea to find some speed from the soccer team. She approached ISU soccer coach Tony Minatta to learn if there were any players willing to join the softball team.

“One attribute of soccer players is that they are fast,” Minatta said.  

Because Gemeinhardt-Cesler wanted speed, Minatta sent her to one of the fastest players on the team — Womack.

“Hayley is legitimately one of the fastest players in the Big 12,” Minatta said.

Gemeinhardt-Cesler approached Womack to understand if she would be interested in joining the softball team. With no hesitation, Womack decided to use her last semester of eligibility and to put on her softball cleats once more.

After two years of searching for speed, Gemeinhardt-Cesler found it with Womack. At that moment, a dual-sport athlete was born.

“It feels cool to be a dual-sport athlete,” Womack said. “It is an honor, but it really means that I am proud to be a Cyclone.”

Womack, who has a 4.0 GPA and also student teaches in Des Moines, does not regularly attend practice. Because of this, she prepares hard on game day.

“There is a slight difference in preparation on game day for both sports. It is important to go in early to get into your mindset,” Womack said. “I run. I stretch. But it is different because in soccer, I am constantly running, while in softball, I have to be ready when the coach needs me.”

Womack’s position on the softball team is base runner. The description for a base runner is that when a player gets on base, the coach can decide to switch the player with a reserve like Womack.

The base runner position does not receive the accolades like a hitter or pitcher might garner, but Gemeinhardt-Cesler says Womack still puts in the hard work for the position.

“She is all in for the team every time,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “She has a great attitude, is always ready to go and wants to be the best that she can be.”

During this season, Womack has appeared in five games for the Cyclones. She has recorded two runs and one stolen base. As the only dual-sport athlete outside of cross country and track, Womack hopes to continue supporting the ISU softball team on the road to a Big 12 title and beyond.