Danielle ( Dani) Henkel joined the DBU Tennis Coaching staff in the Spring of 2021, prior to her arriving at DBU, she served as the women’s assistant for Trinity University.
During her time at Trinity, Henkel helped lead the women's team to a No. 29 national ranking by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) during the abbreviated 2020 season. Henkel also coached the doubles team of Mary Kaffen and Zoe Kaffen, who captured the ITA Division III Southwest Region Doubles title in the fall of 2019. The talented sisters dup qualified for the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia, and tied for seventh place at the national event. The Kaffens also earned All-America honors in doubles for the second consecutive year from the ITA.
Henkel was also an assistant for both the men's and women's tennis teams from 2017-2019 at Schreiner University. The Mountaineers men's and women's tennis teams each finished fourth at the 2019 SCAC Championships. Schreiner's women's squad also received national recognition after earning a No. 20 ranking in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III West Region Poll.
A veteran teaching tennis professional, Henkel worked at the John Newcombe Tennis Ranch in New Braunfels, Texas, from 2009-2016 and was director of Newk's adult program in the summer of 2019.
Henkel played collegiately at the NCAA Division II level for the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She was a team captain during her junior and senior years. The Tritons advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs, for the first time in school history during her senior season in 2014.
Henkel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a certificate in trauma from Missouri-St. Louis in 2014. She also holds a Masters Degree in Sports Administration from Arkansas State University. She lives in Grand Prairie, TX.
