University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Danielle Lewis 1998 - Track and Field
One of the top javelin throwers in the region during her four-year collegiate career, Danielle Lewis, a 2008 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, was the 1998 women's winner of UVM's J. Edward Donnelly Award as the most outstanding athlete in her class.
She won three straight America East individual titles in the javelin after finishing as the runner-up as a freshman, and twice won the event at the prestigious Penn Relays. A native of Danville, Vt. who came to UVM from St. Johnsbury Academy, Lewis also was a two-time team captain and was unbeaten in dual or tri-meet in the javelin over her four-year career. Upon graduation she held the school-record in the javelin (163-8).
An excellent all-around athlete, she also competed in several other events including the pole vault, hurdles and triple jump, placing in the triple jump at both the indoor and outdoor conference meets. Over her four seasons, the Vermont women finished second three times and third once at the America East Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Lewis had a strong start to her career coming in second at the 1995 America East Championship while winning her first Penn Relays (college division) title. She became the first UVM student-athlete to capture a Penn Relays event since Hall of Famer and Olympic Champion Albert Gutterson '12 won the long jump in 1912.
She defended her college division title at the 1996 Penn Relays as a sophomore and captured her first conference crown. Her throw of 155-10 at the America East Championship that year has been the longest at the conference for 12 years. In 1997 Lewis repeated as the America East champ and won the New England Championship. At the ECACs she finished second. In back-to-back dual meets over eight days in April of 1998 she twice established a new school javelin record. Her toss of 163-2 at a meet at Holy Cross on April 18, 1998 set a new school and America East standard and she extended the mark eight days later with a throw of 163-8 at the Dartmouth Invitational on April 26. Lewis won her third straight conference title that spring, repeated as the New England champion and came in second at the ECACs.
