At the age of four years old, senior Hailey Kravetz began her athletic career by joining a community youth soccer league. On April 13, 2024, Kravetz was awarded a scholarship at the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame 20th Induction Banquet for her fourteen years of dedication to local athletics.

Hailey was the star striker for the girls’ soccer team, setting a school record with 45 goals in her senior year. She has also participated in track and field since seventh grade, setting the school record in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 46.38 seconds in her sophomore year and breaking her record with a time of 44.94 seconds in her junior year. 

“I was very grateful to win the award. I was excited to earn such a prestigious award and represent Altoona at the event,” Kravetz said.

Kravetz has a personal record of 15.44 seconds in the 100m hurdles and a personal record of 45.14 seconds in the 300m hurdles. 

“The 100m hurdle race is a pure technique race that thrives off of adrenaline and proper steps. The 300 hurdles race is more endurance based and trusting your body when pacing for the race,” Kravetz said. 

Kravetz originally decided to do track to stay in shape for soccer. 

“However I quickly fell in love with the sport and the individual competitive aspect,” Kravetz said. 

Junior Allison Little believes Kravetz is a great teammate.

“She always leads by example. She gets to practice early and leaves late, and I have never seen her not give her all at practice. It is obvious that she truly cares about the team,” A. Little said. 

This athletic ability and strong leadership earned her a $2,000 scholarship from the Blair County Hall of Fame sponsored by Reliance Bank. The annual scholarship has now provided $134,000 of aid to student-athletes. Alongside Kravetz, senior Braden Ewing from Tyrone Area High School also received this year’s scholarship. He competes in wrestling and football. 

“Kravetz is a physical and vocal leader as a senior captain for a team that advanced farther than any team in school history,” volunteer coach Jason Little said. “She has the work ethic and all of the tools necessary to be successful at the college level.” 

Kravetz’s leadership abilities extend to track and field as well. 

“This past year, we lost a hurdle coach,” Kravetz said. “We didn’t have a replacement, so I was told that I am basically the new coach. Our other coaches do not have hurdling experience, and it is not something that you can just easily slide into. I had to try to take on the leadership role for that position while helping myself at the same time.” 

This extra responsibility is not a hindrance to her personal development, however.

“It helps me because I am able to learn from them at the same time,” Kravetz said. “The previous coaches set me up really well, but there comes a point where I don’t know how to help them as much anymore. I watch a lot of videos and speak to a lot of college coaches for insight, and it helps me improve just as much as it helps them.” 

Kravetz balances her athletic career with many other academic pursuits. She is ranked 10th in her class and is a member of both the National Honors Society and Student Council. 

“I am very determined and I never procrastinate,” Kravetz said. “As soon as I get home from practice, I sit down and do my work to maximize the amount of time I have at home. It’s just a matter of finding what works and scheduling my days accordingly.”

Kravetz has no intention of slowing down her athletic career. She is majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh and will be participating in the track team. She plans on taking her hurdling career further than college if possible. To her, this scholarship is just the first step. 

“I believe that Hailey will be successful wherever her athletic career takes her,” A. Little said. “It doesn’t matter the setting, I know she will do amazing things. I can not wait to see everything that she accomplishes, and I am so happy for her.”