On March 12, senior Danielle Kramer announced her commitment to the University of Scranton Women’s volleyball and Women’s track and field via Instagram. Kramer has played for the volleyball team for three seasons and joined outdoor track and field her junior year.
“I am looking forward to creating bonds with all of my [new] teammates. I am excited to travel to other universities and compete. I have many friends that play volleyball on opposing teams,” Kramer told The Fanscotian.
Kramer will spend her next four years as a member of the Royals, competing at the Division III level. The women’s volleyball team reached the Landmark Championship match and had several players receive All-American honors last season. Switching sports, the track and field team had a historic 2023 spring season, breaking eight school records.
“I picked Scranton because this school had the most opportunities for me. Not many schools allow you to play two sports and let you excel academically,” Kramer said.
As a middle hitter, Kramer was a staple in the Raiders offense during her three seasons with the volleyball program. Being alongside alumni Abbey Balagot and Morgan Kinard hindered her production in the first couple of seasons, but that did not stop her this year.
“She continued to become more confident as her talent grew. She was open to new offensive plays, all for the benefit of her team succeeding,” girls volleyball head coach Adrienne Stack said.
Kramer tallied a career high 182 kills, putting her at third overall for most kills in a single season for the program. Her competitiveness and the power behind her spike gave a spark that will be hard to replace come next season.
“She’s a very competitive player. She’s hungry to play her offensive game and wants to put the ball away. The sound of the ball slamming to the ground was always an incredible moment in a match,” Stack said.
Although Kramer only started learning the art of the triple jump last spring, she picked it up quickly with the help of her long stride.
“As [club] volleyball died down, she started to see that she had some ability in the triple jump. She started to compete on the weekends [where she] got some better marks and then got motivated by the success to practice more and to compete more,” jumping coach Peter Kane said.
Kramer is suiting up for the Raiders again as the spring season is underway where she looks to build off of her prior success. She currently sits at 6th overall for girls triple jump leaders for the program with a score of 35’ 4. Summer Robinson from the class of ‘16 broke the previous school record in 2016 by a little over five inches with a new record of 37’ 6.
“I think [Kramer] has the potential to break the school record. Even if she doesn’t break the school record which I’m confident she can and will do, she’ll be tough to lose after this year,” Kane said.
It is always difficult to lose rare talents such as Kramer’s, but she is slated to continue her success in her athletic and academic career for the Royals.
“People that do a college sport realize college is hard enough, but [if] you balance it out with athletics and you are successful; that speaks volumes of who you are,” Kane said.
