Shelby Daniele, a former student-athlete who excelled on the Cal Poly track and field team, has died, according to a tribute posted on the Instagram page of Cal Poly Athletics on September 27. She was 23 years old.
“Cal Poly Athletics was deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of former Cal Poly student-athlete Shelby Daniele,” the post says.
“Shelby was an exceptional student-athlete on the Cal Poly track and field team for five years, graduating from Cal Poly this spring with her master’s in agriculture with distinction,” the post says.
The cause of death was not released. Daniele’s Facebook page says she was from Clovis, California.
Shelby Daniele Was Remembered as an ‘Incredible Teammate & Leader’
According to the Cal Poly Athletics post, Daniele “was a six-time All-Big West honoree, a two-time Big West champion, a team captain and is a school record holder, but more importantly she was an incredible teammate and leader. She cared deeply for those around her, had a remarkable heart,t and was a role model for so many.”
“Shelby was truly one of a kind and will be missed dearly by everyone in the Cal Poly community. Our condolences go out to her family and friends 💚💛” the post says. “#RideHigh.”
People posted tributes to Daniele on the Instagram comment thread. “Such an amazing person and athlete that truly lifted up everyone around her❤️ Shelby inspired me every day she showed up at the track. So proud to have been her teammate,” wrote one.
“Such a beautiful soul inside & out 💚💚💚 rest easyShelbyy!” wrote another person. “Absolutely no words. Shelby was a beautiful human and an amazing teammate. Always a gracious competitor. Rest in peace, Shelby,” wrote another person.
Shelby Daniele Recently Received Her Master’s Degree From Cal Poly
On June 18, Daniel Daniele wrote on Facebook, along with a picture of Shelby, “Congratulations to my daughter Shelby Daniele for graduating with her master’s degree from CalPolyy.”
Her sister posted a graphic about a candlelight vigil for Shelby on September 27. The Fresno Bee reported that hundreds of people attended the memorial.
Her Cal Poly athletic profile gave the following accomplishments:
Five-time All-Big West honoree
School record holder in women’s indoor 200 (24.69@)
No. 2 all-time in women’s indoor 60 (7.62@)
Tied No. 2 all-time in women’s 100 (11.58)
No. 3 all-time in women’s outdoor 200 (23.57)
The page adds, “Earned bachelor’s degree in agriculture in spring 2023 … also visited Cal State Fullerton; of choosing Cal Poly, said “I believe it’s the best school for me to grow in academics and athletics, and it’s a place I feel I would be comfortable at because it’s so close to home” … career ambition is to “secure a position in my job that involves agricultural business so that I can improve the environment and give back to our society.”
The page describes her high school successes, saying, “Won the 2019 CIF State championship for the 200m while with Buchanan High School of Clovis, with a time of 23.73 seconds … also won both the Tri-River Athletic Conference (via 24.18) and Central Section (at 24.36) championships … in addition, came in seventh place at the 2019 CIF State Finals for the 100-meter dash, in a school-record effort of 11.80 seconds …”
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