By Christian Rodarte, April 28, 2026
Cal Poly Pomona’s Halle McDaniels was named CCAA Field Athlete of the Week, recording a personal best discus throw with a distance of 47.82 meters (156 feet, 11 inches) at the Pomona-Pitzer invitational, according to the CCAA.
McDaniels feels the award will push her to do better. She added if she was able to record a personal record with an injured body, she can only imagine what she can accomplish with a healthy one.
“In the moment I’m constantly listening to cues when throwing discus from my coach and team members,” McDaniels said. “My headspace is always having fun.”
McDaniels played basketball in high school but was introduced to track and field as a sophomore. Her main events are shot put and discus. According to McDaniels, she began lifting weights, which transitioned her focus to the track, and from there, the rest is history.
After her coach died in high school, which McDaniels was inspired to continue her career in track and field because her coach always said she had a knack for throwing.
In her senior year of high school, she committed to Sonoma State on scholarship, but Sonoma canceled all athletics a week in, so McDaniels had to decide what to do next.
“I decided not to compete for a year,” McDaniels said. “In 2025, I transferred to Cal Poly Pomona, where I knew Coach Frederica Bush.”
As her coach, Bush said she always saw the spark in McDaniels. She even mentioned a discussion with McDaniels on where she told her discus was going to be her best event, and sure enough, it was.
“She is very dedicated, loves the sport, works extremely hard and pushes through adversity even through injury,” Bush said. “This year she has shown maturity, strength and she just really believes in who she is.”
McDaniels described juggling school and sports as coming down to time management and allowing herself to have time for both. She studies applied mathematics, a subject she loves and can apply to her sport.
“Applying what I learn from physics allows me to understand how to stand, spin and use momentum to throw a hammer,” McDaniels said. “It allows me to push out faster.”
After receiving the award from the CCAA, McDaniels was surprised because there are so many athletes doing amazing things in the sport. But her teammate Kirssy Reyes-Walter described how deserving McDaniels was to receive this award and how dedicated to the game she is.
“She deserves to be awarded,” Reyes-Walter said. “She works very hard and having qualified for nationals while injured is just amazing.”
McDaniels recognized the athletic staff and trainers for always catering to students’ schedules and allowing them to succeed. She also thanked her family for always being on her side through injury, events and school changes.
The next CPP track and field event is the CCAA Championship from April 30 to May 2. This year, McDaniels is one of the top nine competitors in the school for track and field, which means her points go toward the overall total score at the event for CPP.
“I don’t want to let anyone down, I’m pushing to get 52 to 54 meters in my next discus throw,” McDaniels said. “My goal is to become All-American.”
Feature image courtesy of CPP Athletics
