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03/30/2017 12:00 AMDanyelle Engels didn’t walk into Westbrook High School expecting to become a thrower in the Knights’ track and field program, but she’s since traveled a path that’s led her toward attaining some championship glory at marquee meets.
Danyelle, a junior, started with field hockey in middle school, but then gravitated toward track as a freshman at Westbrook. After trying seemingly every event under the sun, Danyelle decided to take her shot in the throwing events. It turned out to be a great decision for Danyelle, who won the Shoreline Conference outdoor title in the shot put and discus last spring before taking home the conference crown for the shot put in the recent indoor season. Danyelle later finished in sixth place at the Class S State Championship with a personal-best throw of 34 feet-2 inches.
“After the first meet of my freshman year, I tried all three throwing events and just stuck with it from there. I’ve just put a lot of time and effort into practice,” says Danyelle, who also qualified for the State Open in the shot put, discus, and javelin in her sophomore outdoor season. “After sophomore year, I picked up the weight room, and the extra strength I’ve gotten from there has helped. I also learned technique from my coaches.”
When it comes to the ideal form for her throws, Danyelle says the most important thing is to concentrate on each part of the process amidst the heat of a competition.
“The discus and shot put kind of tie together, I feel. It’s all about just focusing on one thing at a time and knowing when to do what in a meet,” Danyelle says. “I’ve come a long way since my freshman year, and a lot of it has to do with the time my coaches have put in with teaching me.”
Knights’ outdoor track Head Coach Tim Marshall says that Danyelle knows how to set a winning tone at practice and then bring that demeanor to a meet when the top prize is on the line.
“Danyelle is an extremely talented athlete who simply outworks her competition. She has been a leader on our team, even as a young athlete, who is always willing to help other throwers and leads through example during practices,” Marshall says. “She always seems to throw her best when the stakes are highest. When the rest of the field puts the pressure on, she knows how to respond with her personal best.”
Danyelle says that winning the Shoreline Conference title in the discus last spring is a victory that stands out in her memory. It was a day where Danyelle willed herself to the win following a hefty amount of preparation leading up to the meet.
“Winning the discus at Shorelines last year was the best day of my life. I put the time and effort into it and it showed and was a big accomplishment,” she says. “I was really nervous days before the meet. I made sure I practiced plenty before it, but I was still nervous. But I knew if I applied everything I did in practice that I could win and it was a sense of relief when I did.”
Danyelle has a goal that she wants to check off her list during the upcoming outdoor season. Last spring, Danyelle was the runner-up in the javelin at the Shoreline Conference Championship. This year, she’d like to earn the triple crown by winning all three throwing events at the conference meet, while helping the Knights enjoy some higher postseason finishes.
“My goals for spring are to hit personal records in all three events during the season and win Shoreline titles in all three events, instead of two,” says Danyelle, who thanks Coach Marshall, throwing coach Mike Taylor, her parents Michael and Desiree, and her brother Dylan. “For a team, hopefully, we can place higher at the Shoreline and state meets. If everyone does their part, then we’ll get better as a team.”