Williams has accomplished two of her three goals, and with one more season of eligibility, she plans on placing a check mark next to her final goal in the near future.

On Sunday, Williams competed in the Canadian Olympic trials in Victoria, British Columbia. She qualified for the finals, finishing seventh overall.

“I thought I did pretty well at the trials,” Williams said. “I didn’t hit anything really good but at the same time, I didn’t do anything really bad.”

Only two divers out of an 18 person field made the Olympic team. Although Williams didn’t make the squad, she knows competing against the best divers in Canada will help her accomplish her third goal.

“Having the experience competing against really good competitors will definitely help me out next year,” she said. “I’m getting a lot better at relaxing and staying focused.”

After being named the Freshman of the Year her first season and Diver of the Year her second, Williams looked to outdo herself her junior year.

But during a routine practice dive, Williams hit the board and dislocated her shoulder.

The injury caused her to redshirt and watch from the sidelines for the entire next season.

“The scariest part of diving is thinking that you are going to make contact with the board,” diving head coach Eric Best said. “Typically, there aren’t long-term injuries that result from a board collision — it is more of a mental thing to overcome.”

Williams had surgery three days after the accident and wasn’t allowed back in the pool for four months.

Williams acknowledged that the mental aspect of getting back up on the board was tough, but she worked hard to regain her confidence.

“I knew I had to get over it and get back out there and compete,” she said. “There was no way that I was going to be done diving.”

Before her first competition after the injury, she had doubts about whether she wanted to compete. Best had to motivate her to concentrate and execute what she had been practicing.

“Danielle hadn’t been diving well going into the competition and I had to chew her out to make sure she didn’t bail on the competition,” Best said. “After an injury like that you wonder if you are as good as you were before and if it is going to be worth it.

“But after seeing her compete at the Canadian Senior Nationals, I knew she was back.”

Although Williams’ shoulder injury restricts her from training the way she did before the injury, Best credits her for working hard in and out of the pool.

“In diving, you have to get within two feet of the board and it can be a scary thing,” Best said. “Danielle had to work really hard to put those doubts out of her mind and get back out there.”

Williams is back home in Canada and is done competing for the summer. But Best knows Williams will return next season more motivated than ever to accomplish her final goal at MSU.

“After a couple weeks of working an internship back at home, I’m sure Danielle will be ready to get back into the pool and start diving,” Best said “I’m excited for her to return because she knows she is a great diver again, and I look forward to seeing what she can do in her last year.”