Just a week before her sudden demise, Shelby Daniele got in touch with her high school coach, Brian Weaver. Weaver recalled how he instantly recognized the former Buchanan High School track and field athlete, having worked with her for four years. As fate would have it, days later after catching up, Weaver would emotionally reminisce about Daniele’s contributions and how she stood out as a competitor and person. 

Shelby Daniele is a name that is well-known to the Fresno natives. Before being a 6x All-Big West Honoree and a two-time Big West champion at California Polytechnic State University the track and field athlete had been the center of attention at the Buchanan High School. It was there that she made a name for herself breaking records and helping the school to a state championship. 

Hundreds of the Fresno natives turned up to mourn her tragic passing after the news was announced by the school on Thursday, 26 September. Amidst this heartbreaking development, Daniele’s former coach, Weaver chose to look back and celebrate the life of a champion athlete who went beyond her way to help others.

Weaver mentioned that Daniele was, “everything you want a young athlete to be” and was a fierce competitor. After succeeding in high school, Daniele moved to California Polytechnic and spent five years there only recently earning her Master’s degree. She made further history at Cal Poly, but according to Weaver she never forgot her roots and would often help out young athletes.

“She mentored so many athletes. Kept them going when times were tough – after graduating she would take her personal time to come say hi to all the coaches and athletes,” Weaver told YourCentralValley. Under his tutelage, Daniele won the 200-meter race at the 101st Track and Field Championships in 2019. The coach remembered that Daniele showed great fight that day after being tired from the long weekend of races. But with a little push from her coach, Daniele was able to put up a memorable performance.

The high school coach mentioned, “It was a great athlete coaching experience for me because we had to get through some things together. That is a memory that I will have forever.”  Weaver also revealed another side of  Daniele’s personality and how she would like to be remembered.

He added, “She loved everything. If people could just go and do that, love every minute that you have, she would want to be remembered for that. She lived life to the fullest.” For Weaver, the news of Daniele’s passing would have hit hard especially having talked to her only a few days ago.

Reportedly  Shelby tracked down Weaver while he was on his daily run. He recalled, “She called me and said, ‘It’s me’. I said, ‘I know who you are.’ She always made time for her old coach.” Daniele’s time of 23.73s across 200m to help Buchanan win the 2019 CIF State championship is the second-best in Central Section history.

After leaving Buchanan High School, Daniele joined Cal Poly and excelled as a student and athlete. She earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 2023 and competed for the Mustangs for five years between 2020 and 2024. During this time she broke multiple records at the University.

She broke the 200m school record by running the 200m indoor in 24.69s. Competing in the 60m indoor championships, Daniele ran a whirlwind time of 7.62s to record her personal best and also feature at No. 2 in the all-women’s indoor 60m category. She also ran the second fastest all-time in school history in the 100m with a time of 11.58. Daniele is also tied third all-time in women’s outdoor 200m (23.57s).

Naturally, Cal Poly also shared a post on social media on September 27 to pay tribute to the 23-year-old. “Cal Poly Athletics was deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of former Cal Poly student-athlete Shelby Daniele,” the school’s Track and Field wrote in an Instagram post.

Their further comments echoed the sentiments shared by Weaver about the late track and field star. “Shelby was an exceptional student-athlete on the Cal Poly track and field team for five years, the school said. “She 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 and was a role model for so many,” the post read.

She received her master’s degree in agriculture with distinction from Cal Poly, only a few months before her untimely death. Her impact on the community went beyond the track and this was highlighted by Brian Brandenburg, a father of fellow athletes, who also revealed the cause of her tragic death.

Shelby Daniele inspired others

September 25, the day of Shelby Daniele’s passing coincided with National Daughters Day. Brian Brandenburg, the father of two daughters Eva and Tori, took to Facebook to show his love and appreciation for them. He shared two pictures of his daughters, one from Eva’s IG story and the other of his daughters with their dog. The third photo was of Daniele.

In the caption, he wrote, “In honor of National Daughters Day I get to scream from the rooftop. Tori and Eva have been a blessing in so many ways. They are both great young women. Loving, kind, thoughtful, smart and beautiful. But my joy is crushed tonight. The young lady that was the driving force in Eva’s decision to run Track at Cal Poly, Shelby Daniele, passed away last night of a brain aneurism.”

After getting her master’s degree, Daniele was determined to make a difference. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was working as a Field Assistant Manager alongside her family at Jalonen Ranches, a family-owned almond and walnut ranch in Caruthers, California since 2017.

In the personal note section of her Buchanan High School career profile, she also noted that she wanted to pursue a career in agricultural business “so that I can improve the environment and give back to our society.” This truly reflects that Shelby Daniele was determined to make an impact and according to her coach did that with her accomplishments on and off the track.