Danielle Okonta

Duke Track and Field in studio in Durham, NC. November 4, 2020

Class:
Graduate Student
Hometown:
Marietta, Ga.
Prev School:
Dartmouth

2020-21 T&F: Joined the Duke program as a graduate-transfer after competing at Dartmouth ... Made her Blue Devil debut in the 400m and 400m hurdles, finishing in 22nd place in each with times of 58.49 seconds and 1:05.11 respectively at the Raleigh Relays (3/25 - 3/27) ... Set a Duke PR of 1:01.93 in the 400m hurdles, finishing third at the Tobacco Road Challenge (4/9 - 4/10) ... Took third place in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:03.82 at the Charlotte Invitational (4/23 - 4/24) ... Finished fourth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.89 at Duke Twilight (5/3) ... Finished 25th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:16.98 at the ACC Outdoor Championships (5/13).

2019-20 T&F (Dartmouth): Opened the indoor season with a personal best in the 300m of 41.29 seconds at the Crimson Opener (12/7) ... Helped the 4x400m relay team take first with a time of 3:58.77 and finished seventh in the 400m with a time of 1:01.69 at the Dartmouth Relays (1/10) ... Took eighth in the 200m with a time of 26.66 seconds and fifth as part of the 4x400m relay team with a run of 4:06.62 ... Ran a time of 59.82 seconds in the 400m to finish 65th at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic (1/24) ... Finished 14th as part of the DMR team with a time of 12:43.89 at the NEICAAA Indoor Championships (1/31) ... Placed third in both the 400m (59.51 seconds) and 4x400m relay (4:03.20) at the Dartmouth Indoor Invitational (2/8) ... Set a personal best in the 400m with a time of 57.93 seconds to finish 61st, while finishing 11th in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:49.59 at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2/14) ... Helped the Dartmouth DMR team finish sixth with a time of 11:46.15, while finishing 15th in the 400m with a mark of 59.24 at the Ivy League Indoor Championships (2/29 - 3/1) ... Did not compete in any outdoor events due to the season being cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

2018-19 T&F (Dartmouth): Began the indoor season with a win as part of the 4x400m relay team with a time of 3:53.34, while taking ninth in the 400m with a run of 1:03.80 at the Dartmouth vs. UNH vs. Maine vs. Vermont meet (12/8) ... Took third in the 4x400m relay with a time of 4:03.89 and sixth in the 400m with a run of 59.95 at the Dartmouth Relays (1/13) ... Finished fifth in the 400m with a run of 59.24 seconds at the Dartmouth vs. Yale vs. Columbia meet (1/18) ... Came in 31st in the 400m with a time of 58.18 seconds at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic (1/25) ... Placed 28th in the 400m with a run of 59.93 seconds at the NEICAAA Indoor Championships (2/1) ... Ended the indoor season with a season best run of 58.06 to finish 57th at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2/8) ... Started the outdoor season with a 16th place finish and run of 59.11 seconds at the Yellow Jacket Invitational (3/15) ... Took 17th in the 400m hurdles, running a time of 1:04.93 at the North Florida Spring Break Invitational (3/21) ... Won her first individual event of the season, finishing first in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.80, while taking second in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:52.39 at the UMass Minuteman Invitational (4/6) ... Won her second straight 400m hurdles, running a time of 1:02.94 at the Dartmouth Outdoor Invitational (4/12) ... Set her collegiate best in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:01.10 to take third at the Larry Ellis Invitational (4/20) ... Placed seventh in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:49.69 and 11th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.59 at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships (5/4 - 5/5) ... Ran a preliminaries time of 1:02.00 and ultimately finished sixth in the 400m hurdles at the New England Outdoor Championships (5/10 - 5/11).

2017-18 T&F (Dartmouth): Opened the indoor season in the 60m hurdles and 400m, finishing ninth in the 60m hurdles with a preliminary time of 9.12 seconds, while placing 11th with a time of 59.54 seconds at the Boston University Season Opener (12/2) ... Helped the 4x400m relay team finish first with a time of 3:59.64, while taking third in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.12 seconds at the Dartmouth vs. UNH vs. Maine vs. Vermont meet (12/8) ... Ran a preliminary time of 9.26 seconds and finished eighth in the 60m hurdles at the Dartmouth Relays (1/7) ... Competed in three events, taking second in the 60m hurdles (9.34 seconds), 4x400m relay (4:06.09) and third in the 400m (59.86 seconds) at the Dartmouth vs. Vermont vs. Brown vs. Maine meet (1/13) ...Placed fourth in the 400m with a time of 59.82 seconds at the Dartmouth vs. Columbia vs. Yale meet (1/20) ... Took 33rd in the 400m with a time of 58.93 seconds at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic (1/26) ... Helped the 4x400m relay team finish fourth with a time of 3:53.19, while finishing 17th in the 60m hurdles (9.27 seconds) and 23rd in the 400m (59.77 seconds) at the NEICAAA Indoor Championships (2/2) ... Ran a time of 58.62 in the 400m to take 11th place at the Fastrack National Invite (2/9) ... Took seventh in the 4x400m relay (3:51.88) and 15th in the 400m (58.78 seconds) at the Ivy League Indoor Championships (2/24 - 2/25) ... Opened the outdoor season with a 21st place finish in the 400m with a mark of 58.39 at the UCF Black and Gold Challenge (3/16) ... Finished seventh in both events she competed in, running times of 1:03.87 in the 400m hurdles and 3:55.47 in the 4x400m relay at the FSU Relays (3/23) ... Took second with a time of 1:07.01 in the 400m hurdles at the Mark Young Invitational (4/7) ... Had a huge day at the Dartmouth Outdoor Invitational, winning the 400m hurdles (1:04.00) and 4x400m relay (3:56.37) (4/13) ... Won her second straight 400m hurdles with a time of 1:02.50 at the Virginia Challenge (4/20) ... Finished seventh in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3:46.50 at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships (5/5 - 5/6) ... Took 11th place in the 400m hurdles with a run of 1:04.81 at the New England Outdoor Championships (5/11 - 5/12).

2016-17 T&F (Dartmouth): Made her collegiate debut in the 60m hurdles, running a time of 9.05 seconds to finish 12th at the Boston University Season Opener (12/3) ... Took sixth in her 400m debut with a time of 1:00.57 and 10th in the 60m hurdles with a mark of 10.75 seconds at the Dartmouth vs. UNH vs. Maine meet (12/9) ... Ran a time of 9.04 seconds and ultimately finished seventh in the 60m hurdles, while taking 24th in the 400m with a mark of 1:02.50 at the Dartmouth Relays (1/8) ... Set a preliminary mark of 9.00 seconds and finished fourth in the final of the 60m hurdles. while taking second in her first 200m collegiate race with a time of 26.06 seconds at the Dartmouth vs. Maine vs. Vermont vs. RPI meet (1/14) ... Recorded a collegiate best mark of 8.99 seconds in the 60m hurdles, taking fifth, while taking fifth in the 200m with a time of 25.74 seconds at the Dartmouth vs. Yale vs. Columbia meet (1/20) ... Finished third in the 60m hurdles (9.02 seconds) and fourth in the 200m (26.09 seconds) at the Dartmouth Indoor Classic (2/4) ... Placed 23rd in the 60m hurdles with a mark of 9.18 seconds at the BU David Hemery Valentine Invitational (2/10) ... Made her Ivy League Indoor Championship debut, placing 15th in the 60m hurdles with a time of 9.02 seconds (2/25 - 2/26) ... Competed in the outdoor season for the first time, placing ninth in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:03.85, 24th with a collegiate best of 25.70 seconds in the 200m and 28th in the 100m hurdles with a run of 15.94 seconds at the Bill Webb & Bob Davidson Spring Kick Off (3/16) ... Placed 33rd in both events she competed in, running a collegiate best time of 15.17 seconds in the 100m hurdles and a 1:05.07 in the 400m hurdles at the Raleigh Relays (3/24) ... Took 11th with a run of 1:04.80 in the 400m hurdles at the Sam Howell Invitational (4/8) ... Earned a third place finish with a run of 1:03.68 in the 400m hurdles at the Dartmouth Outdoor Invitational (4/14) ... Finished 22nd in the 400m hurdles with a run of 1:04.41 at the Virginia Challenge (4/21) ... Turned in a run of 1:07.94 in the 400m hurdles at the UMass Pre-Conference Meet (4/29) ... Recorded a 15th place finish in the 400m hurdles with a run of 1:03.57 at the Ivy League Outdoor Championships (5/6 - 5/7) ... Took 12th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:03.59 at the New England Outdoor Championships (5/12 - 5/13).

High School: A four-year letter winner for track and field at Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga. ... The Georgia 6A Region 5 Champion for hurdles during her junior and senior year, and long jump her senior year ... Also received the Excellence Award for Track & Field the past 3 years ... As a senior, was voted to the All-County team and broke the school record for 300H, which was previously held by her sophomore self ... Outside of athletics, was the Student Ambassador of underclassmen, and a member of the National Honor Society, English Honor Society, and Social Studies Honor Society.

Personal: Daughter of Emmanuel and Florence Okonta ... Has one brother and one sister ... Her father, Emmanuel, played professional soccer in Nigeria for six years.

Collegiate Indoor PR
60m Hurdles – 8.99 (1/20/2017)
200m – 25.74 (1/20/2017)
300m – 41.29 (12/7/2019)
400m – 57.93 (2/14/2020)

Collegiate Outdoor PR
100m Hurdles – 15.17 (3/16/2017)
200m – 25.70 (3/16/2017)
400m – 58.39 (3/16/2018)
400m Hurdles – 1:01.10 (4/20/2019)

Duke Outdoor PR
400m – 58.49 (3/27/2021)
400m Hurdles – 1:01.93 (4/10/2021)

Last Updated on May 26, 2021