Danielle (Dani) McDonnell enters her 23rd season as head coach of the Western Connecticut State University field hockey program, having guided the Wolves into the post-season in each of the last four years. McDonnell took over the reins of WestConn's resurrected field hockey squad in 2005 and has re-rebuilt the program after it had been discontinued in 1991. The Wolves have enjoyed recent success with six Little East Conference (LEC) Championship Tournament appearances in the last eight playing seasons, including best-ever marks of 15-5 overall and 10-2 in the LEC in 2019 when WestConn also made it to the LEC Semifinals.
McDonnell was an assistant coach at Fairfield University from 1999 to 2004, where she helped the Stags reach the Patriot League Conference Tournament three times, and win one conference title to secure an NCAA Division I Tournament bid in 2001. While at Fairfield, McDonnell was assistant director of the Nike Field Hockey Camp. She coached nine National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCA) Regional All-Americans and 12 NFHCA Academic All-Americans at Fairfield.
McDonnell has coached in the Region 3 Futures Program and co-founded Connecticut Revolution, a club team in southwestern Connecticut for U14, U16 and U19 aged players in 2006. She is also the director of "Prepare for Preseason Camp" held at WestConn in August for local junior and high school players. In 2017, She was inducted into the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Pennsylvania native earned a field hockey scholarship to St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia and was a four-year starter at center midfield. McDonnell was a team captain, an All Atlantic-10 and Mid-East Regional All-American selection twice and was recognized as the 1993 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. She led the Hawks to an Atlantic-10 title, setting a conference tourney record with five assists in one game. In addition, she was named team MVP and St. Joseph's finished 16th nationally in NCAA Division I in her senior season. McDonnell was honored in 2001 by the A-10 for her contribution to its success during the 25th Anniversary of the conference.
McDonnell hails from Perkasie, Pennsylvania and went to Pennridge High School, where she was a four-year varsity starter at center midfield and a high school all-american. McDonnell was a team captain, an All-Colonial Division, and an All-Intelligencer Field Hockey honoree twice each. McDonnell was also a three-year starter in soccer at midfield and forward, where she collected all-conference and All-Intelligencer recognition twice each.
McDonnell graduated from St. Joseph's in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in marketing and received her master's degree in marketing from Fairfield in 2004. She and her husband, Joe, reside in Naugatuck, Connecticut with their son, David.
