Coaches

Esther (Webb) Pellegrino

Esther Webb was named the sixth coach of the Highlanders women's soccer program in February 2022.


Webb, who came to Houghton after coaching for one season at Empire 8 institution Elmira College, is no stranger to the Houghton community. The local product prepped at Fillmore Central School before earning eight varsity letters as a dual-sport student-athlete in soccer and basketball for the Highlanders. Webb also spent one season on the sidelines at her alma mater during the fall of 2018 as an assistant women's soccer coach.


At Elmira, Webb led the Soaring Eagles to a 3-12-3 mark on the field in 2021, including one-goal losses to E8 tournament participants Hartwick, Nazareth and Utica, while also serving as the department’s SAAC advisor.


Prior to taking the position at Elmira, Webb served as head coach at Eastern Nazarene College, a Division III institution located in Quincy, Mass. In her first full season in 2019, the Lions qualified for the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament and placed three on the All-NECC Second Team. Displaying dedication in the classroom, the Lions logged a 3.34 grade-point average during the 2019-20 academic year and received a United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award.


In addition to her responsibilities as head coach at Eastern Nazarene, Webb served as a professor in the sport management department and taught classes on sports psychology and ethics.


Webb's coaching career began as an assistant at Ohio Christian University under former River States Conference (RSC) Coach of the Year recipient, Jake Warren. During her first year at Ohio Christian, the Trailblazers captured the 2016 RSC regular-season title and finished as tournament runners-up. Webb helped mentor the conference's 2016 Player and Newcomer of the Year, in addition to 10 total All-RSC honorees.


"Being given the opportunity to coach at my alma mater and within a community as special as Houghton is something that I am extremely grateful for. The Houghton community has played an integral role in my life and I am ecstatic to be back,” said Webb. “Houghton College provides student-athletes phenomenal opportunities academically, spiritually and personally. I believe these opportunities, coupled with the high caliber student-athletes Houghton draws and my experiences coaching at the DIII level, will propel this program to be consistently competitive within the Empire 8 and NCAA Division III."


As a student-athlete, Webb helped make history as a starting defender on the first-ever Houghton women's team to win a national championship. Her senior season concluded with the 2015 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I title following a 4-2 shootout win over NCAA Division II Mississippi College. Webb played a vital role in the Highlanders' three shutout victories during the tournament and was rewarded with a spot on the NCCAA All-Tournament Team.


Webb is passionate about sports ministry, and has traveled to Brazil, Austria and Romania with the Houghton women's soccer team and Nicaragua with the Houghton women's basketball team.


Webb earned a bachelor's in Business Administration and Communications from Houghton in 2016. She completed her MBA at Ohio Christian in 2018.