In her senior year, Danae Morgan is continuing her career as one of the standout athletes in Hastings High School. As a track and field athlete, she has set six school records this season, placed first in New York State, and ninth in the country for the weight throw. Additionally, she placed seventh in New York for shot put, is a nine-time All-American, and once placed on the National Podium. Morgan first broke the school record in 2023, and has continued to break her own records since.
Behind these impressive accomplishments, Danae also is a reliable teammate and does her best to instill confidence across the roster. When asked how she tries to support her teammates, Morgan said, “I like to encourage them to get into clear mind-spaces and influence ‘pre meet rituals’ because they tend to help people get into a peaceful mindset.”
In Danae’s words, a good performance is, “executing all my cues, having mental toughness when things are going so well at first, and consistency in my series of throws.” She emphasizes that it is important to have mental toughness and confidence in her game. Morgan said that her biggest strength as a competitor has been her confidence, which has not only been key in her performances but also in her training and execution.
Morgan’s favorite moment in the season was the bus ride to the Millrose Trials meet with teammate Kai Ghalib. Morgan said, “We talked about our goals for the meet and the season overall plus the upcoming spring season and also shared some of our favorite songs to listen to before a meet.” When asked about his teammate, Ghalib said, “Danae is an inspiration to the whole team. She’s talented, hard working, and humble, and she’s always looking out for her teammates. She encourages me to set bigger goals, and her faith in me gives me confidence to reach them. On top of being a great mentor, she’s super funny and makes practices and meets a lot of fun.” Through these words, it is clear that all of Morgan’s teammates look up to her as a mentor, and a teammate.
Morgan will be continuing her athletic career in college this fall. She is committed, but her recruitment is still open, which means she is able to de-commit any time.
