Biography
By Jim Hague
It might have taken as little while, but Rutgers-Newark head track and field coach Juan Edney has finally recruited an athlete from his home state of Delaware.
And it looks as if Wilmington, DE native Danay Woods is a keeper.
Edney, who incredibly commutes daily from his home in Delaware to Newark, managed to find Wood, a shot put and discus thrower, last year at the Delaware state championships. As it turned out, Wood competed for Cab Calloway Arts High School in Delaware, whose track coach, Lavel Walker, once ran for Edney when he was the coach at Lincoln University. Wood was an All-State and All-County performer in track and field at Cab Calloway Arts.
“He contacted me and told me about Danay,” Edney said. “Wilmington is only 12 miles from where I live, so I went to the state meet with my wife, who used to coach track and was on the Delaware state track and field board. I went to go see Danay.”
Edney then found out that Wood had planned to attend Penn State-Harrisburg and was all set to end her track and field career.
“I had competed all my life, from sixth grade on, all throughout high school,” Wood said. “I thought I was done competing.”
However, Edney was poised to give Wood the chance to compete at Rutgers-Newark.
“I jumped at the chance,” Wood said. “I definitely wanted to come.”
“She was definitely gung-ho and excited,” Edney said.
There was only one problem. There were no other throwers in the Scarlet Raiders’ women’s track program.
However, Wood wasn’t the only thrower that Edney was recruiting, as fellow freshmen Alisha Gray and Naima Graham were also arriving at R-N as freshmen along with Wood.
“At the time, I felt that bringing in three would uplift the women’s program and it has,” Edney said. “There’s nothing better than competition. The three of them push each other. It’s good to have more than one, because then, in training, they don’t feel as lonely.”
Wood likes the camaraderie that she has with Gray and Graham.
“Since there were no throwers before, we all know that we have to be the ones who set the pace,” Wood said. “We always push each other, whether it’s throwing or weight lifting. Rarely do we compete against each other. But we always are there to encourage each other. Someone can win by a foot or a couple of inches, it doesn’t matter. We’ll just go right to the weight room.”
When in the weight room, the trio of freshmen throwers catches the eyes of everyone with their work ethic -- both male and female athletes alike.
“We go to the weight room like once or twice a day,” Wood said. “And we always get comments from the group that they can’t believe what we’re doing. Even the guys think it’s impressive.”
“They go crazy in the weight room,” Edney said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. That alone shows the dedication they have. They kid with each other, seeing who could life the most. It’s all coming together. It’s the best thing that could happen.”
While Wood throws the shot put, she has been excelling in the discus as well.
“I think the discus is my favorite,” Wood said. “I’m just happy with my performance.”
She should be. Wood’s throw of 31.28 meters was good for fifth place last weekend at the Danny Curran Invitational meet on the campus of Widener University. The throw set a school record for the discus, but then again, it’s also the first recorded distance the program ever had in the discus.
“Well, it is something, right?” Wood asked. “I’ll take it for now.”
Wood was also fifth in the shot put, in an event where Gray was second and Graham third overall at the meet, so the Scarlet Raiders cleaned up in the shot put, with three among the top five in a field of 39 competitors.
Edney said that the addition of Wood and her weight training buddies has been a huge help to the program.
“In the beginning, there were some difficulties with getting up for practice at 8 a.m.,” Edney said. “It was definitely a tough transition for Danay. But she’s getting used to it now.”
Wood is also getting used to life in Newark, N.J. rather than Newark, Delaware.
“She came here and found out that she loved the city life,” Edney said. “She takes walks to places all over Newark. She’s fit right in.”
“It was a little bit of a culture shock, because I didn’t know anything about the Newark in Jersey,” Wood said. “I knew of the one in Delaware. It’s a bigger city in a different state. But it’s been a good experience for me. I go all over with my friends.”
Wood has taken to her new surroundings, experiencing Newark’s Ironbound section, with its restaurants.
“I definitely love the food,” Wood said. “I also was never much of a hockey fan before, but I love going to the Devils games (at the Prudential Center, which is within walking distance of the R-N campus). I guess I can call myself a Devils fan now. I’m pretty comfortable here now. I love Newark so far. I’m having a great time and the people here are wonderful.”
Wood is majoring in journalism at R-N and hopes to get into either sports reporting or becoming a theater critic.
“I was a theater major at a performing arts high school,” Wood said. “I think I can maneuver my way around the theater in that respect.”
But now, Wood has to work on the people in her home state pronouncing the name where she attends school.
In New Jersey, Newark is one syllable, but in Delaware, it’s said separately as “New Ark,” two words.
“It’s definitely a little weird the way they say it back home,” Wood said.
For now, Wood’s home is in the city with the one syllable.
