Thales Academy Apex cancer survivor shatters school sports record with 21 varsity letters

APEX, N.C. (WTVD) -- Maintaining good grades while staying involved in numerous sports and extracurriculars is enough of an achievement for anyone, but student-athlete Haidyn Reinhardt is adding a broken record to her extended list of accomplishments.

The Thales Academy Apex student is finishing up her senior year having earned a whopping 21 varsity letters, breaking the school's record.

As a young child, Reinhardt was focused on another accomplishment: battling leukemia. Now, years later she is graduating high school after shattering this athletic record while maintaining a 4.05 GPA.

Despite her earnings, Reinhardt said they didn't initially stand out to her.

"It didn't mean anything to me for a long time until honestly last year when I realized that it was kind of an impressive number," Reinhardt said. "And I think a lot of the students and teachers around me don't realize that I'm part of so many sports teams until they realize I'm always going to games and practices and I'm never available for anything. But it means a lot to me now."

The senior plays multiple sports including volleyball, basketball and soccer in addition to managing the boys' soccer team. She's also a cheerleader. Reinhardt has been awarded the title of Thales Academy's Female Athlete of the Year for two consecutive years.

"I started to realize that these varsity letters were adding up, and I could do something with it," Reinhardt said. "So I continued to play varsity all four years of high school."

Reinhardt's soccer coach, McGeath Freeman, said she is the kind of player you wanted on a team.

"Haidyn is kind of the dream player you want. She will do whatever you ask her to do," Freeman said. "Even if she doesn't think she can do it, she will get out there and try, and she will play whatever position you ask her to do. And then she will also take the leadership."

Reinhardt's sports career began at Thales Academy when she transferred there in sixth grade, joining the basketball team at the suggestion of her mother. After enjoying basketball, she continued joining more sports teams for the school, building relationships and school involvement along the way.

"I think I was shocked at how much I enjoyed sports," Reinhardt said. "I never considered myself an athletic person and then it just kind of escalated and I fell in love with the sports and being part of a team. I enjoyed making new friendships and connections with both the players and coaches- Just continued ever since."

Though Freeman said Reinhardt's 21 varsity letters are an amazing achievement, what impresses him is the fact that her record did not mean much to her with her focus remaining on enjoying the sport.

"She was just out here to play and enjoy being a varsity player, being a high schooler, and build the relationships," Freeman said. "And so to me, that's more important than the record. I mean, it's great. It's an amazing achievement that anybody can do, but it didn't mean a lot to her and that's really more impressive."