Kirk Webb took the 5A boys state cross country title last fall, but his best sport may still be track and field. Photo by Jeff McCoy.
At first glance, you would not think that Kirk Webb and the chubby-faced old guy on your oatmeal package have much in common. Webb tends toward a slimmer build and is fast. I haven't seen the old guy run recently, but it's a safe bet that, if he has any wheels, they're on the four legs of his walker. You'd be wrong, however, about them having nothing in common; they're both Quakers. Or at least Kirk Webb will be when he arrives in Philadephia this fall.
And it's not a recent decision, as Webb explains, "Penn was on the top of my list since this summer, so I had given it plenty of thought. I actually verbally committed there on the first weekend of October, so I got to run a good part of this season without having to worry about where I would end up." A major is not yet set in stone, but is likely to involve something to do with medicine.
It's difficult to say how much difference having the pressure of a decision behind him made in this fall's cross country season, but it's difficult to argue with the kind of success he had at the end of the season. A state championship doesn't leave much to argue about. In any case, having the pressure of a college decision behind him definitely didn't hurt things.
Penn, of course, is an Ivy League school, and the kind of opportunities it presents--both academic and athletic--have Webb excited about the possibilities, "Penn can give me an excellent education, and the coaches there are brilliant and are very genuine people. I really like the direction that Penn’s track and cross country teams are headed, and I think that before I graduate, it will be one of the top programs in the country... and I want to be a part of the class that brought Penn’s team into the national spotlight."
At least intially, Webb's focus at Penn will be on track and field, though he hopes eventually to be a contributor on the cross country team as well. Early on, cross country is likely to serve more of the purpose of building strength for track, according to Webb.
Reflecting back on his almost-completed high school experience, Webb has no doubt about what the highlight of his high school career has been, be he also has an interesting take on it. "Nothing can compare to winning that state championship. Even though I wasn’t the best runner in the state this fall, everything just came together for me that day."
I hope it's as refreshing to you as it is to me to read a statement like that. So much in the world of sport these days is tarnished by unnecessary displays of ego. It's nice to hear a different perspective now and then.
Webb is also quick to point out the importance of the contributions made by the entire Monarch coaching staff in his personal success, and the success of the team, "Coach Rieder means business. He really knows how to keep us Coyotes on track to help each of us reach our goals. But I can’t give enough credit to all of the assistant coaches that help out at Monarch. I may be a little biased when I say I truly believe we have the greatest coaches in the state."
The recent success of the Monarch running programs would argue that Webb's observation, though bound to meet with some debate from other schools, isn't far from the truth.
