After starring in high school, Danielle Annibale had a tough time making the adjustment from being a big fish in a small pond to a little fish in a big pond.
When the forward on the field hockey team came to Penn State, she found that she was no longer the best player on the team. She was intimidated by the big school, and saw just how easy it can be to get lost in the crowd.
“I was just one more person here,” Annibale said. “I was really intimidated by the numbers. I came out of a class of 170 people, and this was a huge shock to me.”
It is all too easy to go astray when you are away from home for the first time. Nobody cares if you go to class or not, and there is nobody back at your place to tell you to stay home and study. Without discipline, the other activities, including sports, begin to lose their priority.
“I did everything but what mattered and I paid for it,” Annibale said. “And I’m still making up for it.”
But since those rough times, Annibale has turned herself around and has become a major contributor to the field hockey team.
And she is playing with a new vigor — one of her biggest tests will come this weekend when the No. 3 Lady Lions face undefeated No. 1 Old Dominion.
Dina Borelli, one of Annibale’s best friends and teammates from Bishop Eustace High School in New Jersey, is the starting wing for the Monarchs, and she anxiously awaits playing against her friend.
Annibale recalled talking to Borelli as a freshman.
“She was always so into field hockey, and I just thought she needed to get a life,” Annibale said. “But now that I’m playing, I can’t say enough about it.”
Borelli agreed, saying field hockey is all they talk about now. She welcomes the change in Annibale.
“They always called me the hockey geek,” Borelli said, “Now Danielle is the hockey geek. That is all she ever talks about, but I love it.”
When they played in high school, Annibale was always on the attack, and Borelli was always the defender. Now Borelli has been moved to left wing, and will compete with Annibale for the entire match.
Borelli said she has noticed Annibale’s change in attitude, and said she cannot wait to compete against her.
Coach Char Morett said she has also noticed the change in Annibale and she is impressed.
“A look at Danielle’s time here is really encouraging,” Morett said. “She has turned herself around, and has become a productive part of the team. That shows a lot about a person. There are a lot of distractions here at Penn State. It is easy to get lost.”
In high school, Annibale was a leading force on her prep school’s field hockey team. She was the leading scorer during her senior year, and was selected for the first-team on the All-Parochial League that was ranked No. 1 in South Jersey.
Coming from such success made the transition to college that much tougher for Annibale.
She had trouble walking into huge classes where nobody knew or cared who she was, and she felt shut out. She took the route many freshmen in that situation do — avoid the awkward situations, and do things that get you known.
Fortunately for Annibale, she realized what she was doing to herself, and saw her goals moving further out of reach. Since that time, Annibale sports a grade point average higher than 3.0, and has become one of the most aggressive players for the Lady Lions.
“She started out and made some mistakes,” senior Becca Main said. “But she’s pulled it all together, and has a lot she wants to do before she graduates.”
Last year, Annibale was high on Morret’s sub list and liked what she was feeling. She decided succeeding in field hockey was what she wanted to do, and knew she had a lot of work ahead.
She worked hard all summer, and came out this fall determined to earn herself a starting position.
“She came out with new life this semester,” Morett said, “I think she’s finally decided for herself that she can play at this level. She’s worked real hard to get where she’s at.”