Shelby Daniele ‘lived life to the fullest,’ says her former track coach

CLOVIS, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – After the death of Buchanan High School’s Shelby Daniele was announced on Thursday , the school’s Track and Field Head Coach Brian Weaver says he has had people all over the country reach out to him to express their grief.

“They remember her,” Weaver said. “She was a big part of our family.”

Weaver coached Daniele through all four years of high school and says he was proud to see Daniele grow as an athlete and a person.

Weaver described Daniele as a fierce competitor who worked tirelessly through all obstacles.

“Everything you want a young athlete to be.”

Daniele rose to prominence at Buchanan High School when she helped her school secure a state championship , winning the 200-meter race at the 101st Track and Field Championships in 2019.

Weaver says Daniele showed the heart of a champion that day. After a long weekend of races, Daniele told Weaver she was tired and sore – but Weaver reminded her of her preparation, game plan, and everything she had done to get to that point.

“It was a great athlete coaching experience for me because we had to get through some things together,” Weaver said. “That is a memory that I will have forever.”

According to Weaver, Daniele continued to grow as a person and an athlete at Cal Poly, but she never forgot about everyone who helped her along the way and would do her best to encourage others to dig deep within themselves as well.

“She mentored so many athletes,” Weaver said. “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 described Daniele as someone with the heart of a champion and also a heart of gold.

“She was an extremely, extremely fierce competitor but had so much love and joy for every person that she was around,” Weaver said.

Weaver says he will not only remember Daniele as a standout athlete and peer mentor, but he will remember her as a shining example of appreciating life and living in the moment.

“She loved everything,” Weaver said. “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.”

Shelby Daniele’s cause of death has not been officially released.

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