Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2024
- Class:
- 2010
A decorated athlete for the Panther track and field team, Dani Stipe became one of UNI's best multi-event competitors who achieved success not just at the conference level, but on the national stage as well.
Stipe racked up six All-MVC Team selections between indoor and outdoor competition as a part of a Panther team that captured both the conference indoor and outdoor team championships in 2008. In 2007, she earned her first conference title in the indoor 4x400 meter relay and her first individual conference win in the MVC outdoor heptathlon with 5,322 points, qualifying her for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. During the 2008 season, Stipe qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the pentathlon where she placed 16th with 3,806 points. Stipe's MVC outdoor performance in the heptathlon earned her the conference title, a provisional qualification for the Olympic Trials and a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships where she placed 18th with 5,368 points.
Stipe became the first UNI athlete to be named the Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete of the MVC Outdoor Championships in 2008, a season where she earned the first of her three MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selections. She captured her first MVC individual indoor title in the pentathlon in 2009 with a 3,805-point performance while also contributing to the success of the Panthers in additional events, including the long jump and sprint relays.
Stipe currently holds school records as a part of UNI's outdoor 4x200-meter and 4x400-meter relay teams, and is part of the three fastest outdoor 4x400-meter relay teams in program history.
She remains second in the Panther record books in the indoor long jump (5.93m), while her indoor 4x400-meter relay time currently ranks third in UNI history. Stipe set the school record in the outdoor heptathlon in 2008 with 5,550 points and currently ranks third all-time. She also remains tied for second in the record books in the outdoor long jump (6.05m).
In 2012, Stipe was inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's (IGHSAU) Track & Field Hall of Fame for her contributions while an athlete at Kuemper Catholic High School. Stipe currently resides in Carroll, Iowa.
