A recent California Polytechnic State University graduate who broke track records has died, her former team announced on social media.
Shelby Daniele was remembered as an “amazing person” and “everything you’d want an athlete to be,” as her California track and field teams — at Cal Poly and Buchanan High School in Clovis — shared the news of her death with heartfelt tributes on Instagram and Facebook on Thursday, September 26 and Friday, September 27.
The cause of death of Daniela, who was born in 2001 and was reportedly 23 years old at the time of her death, has not been revealed.
According to her college team, she recently graduated from Cal Poly this spring with a master’s degree in agriculture with honors.
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Daniele was an “exceptional student-athlete” who spent five years lending her talents to the program, according to the release. Her career highlights include “six-time All-Big West honoree,” “two-time Big West champion,” school record holder and team captain.
According to the Cal Poly website, she holds the school record for the indoor 200 meters (24.69 seconds), holds the No. 2 all-time women’s indoor 60 meters (7.62 seconds), tied for No. 2 in the women’s 100 meters (11.58 seconds) and was No. 3 all-time in the women’s 200 meters outdoors (23.57 seconds).
“But more importantly, she was an incredible teammate and leader,” read the program’s Instagram announcement, which was paired with photos of her in action over the years. “She cared deeply for those around her, had an extraordinary heart and was a role model to many. Shelby was truly one of a kind and will be greatly missed by all in the Cal Poly community. Our condolences to her family and friends 💚💛.”
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Before going to Cal Poly for higher education, Daniele was a student athlete on the Buchanan track and field team, who also shared the accolade, noting that she was also a “standout” runner in high school.
“No one will ever forget that day in May 2019 when Shelby upset the field at the CA State Meet to win the individual 200m title, helping the team win with her girls,” the team’s Facebook post said.
“Shelby was an amazing athlete, she went to Cal Poly to continue breaking track records, but she will be remembered by her teammates and coaches as an even more amazing person,” it continued. “As coaches, we will always appreciate the time she took to stop at the track when she came back to town to greet everyone. This loss leaves a huge hole in so many hearts and we will never forget the amazing woman Shelby was ❤️.”
Friends and family paid tribute to the late student-athlete Friday at Buchanan High School Veterans Memorial Stadium, according to Fresno beewho noticed that her name was lit up on the stadium’s scoreboard.
Daniele’s high school coach, Brian Weaver, told NBC affiliate KSEE that people from all over the country have been calling to express their condolences, remembering her as “a big part of our family” and “everything you want a young athlete to be.”
“She was a mentor to so many athletes,” Weaver said. “She kept them going when times were tough – after she graduated she would take her time to come greet all the coaches and athletes.”
“She loved everybody,” Weaver added. “If people could just go and do that, love every minute you have, she’d like to be remembered for that. She lived life to the fullest.”
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Source: HIS Education