TOP AREA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES OF THE LAST 30 YEARS: DANIELLE KOSTER

By Mike Tupa

Aug. 13, 2025

BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT

During his nearly 30 years of covering area high school sports for either the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise or the Bartlesville Area Sports Report, Mike Tupa has enjoyed the opportunity to observe some incredible athletes.

This is an ongoing series highlighting each few days one of those athletes from the 1996-97 school year through the present. The list is not in chronological order. The athletes are presented in random sequence.

TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT

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DANIELLE KOSTER (Bartlesville)

Volleyball/girls track (late 2000s-early 2010s)

From the moment she arrived on the high school campus Koster proved she would be one of the great versatile female athletic warriors in Lady Bruin history.

By the time she left, she had helped propel the volleyball team to its deepest-ever playoff run and would bring home gold from the state track meet.

Koster was part of a golden age in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 of high-impact Bartlesville High athletes — Devin Randall, Johanna Hartsock, Mitch Tate, Ramon Benson, Kirby Schoenthaler, Hallee Gillard, Elle Denyer, Tim Hamilton, Paige Wilson, Jack Wiseman, Brandi Schueler, Jesus Martinez, Sadie Jacobs, Colby Mitchell, Zach Merciez, Garrett Powell, Jaycee Punches, Mike Thompson, Taylor Woolman, Mick Miller, Miriam Poole, Matt Mason, Kolin Tribble, Jakob Hartsock, Blake Hicks and several others.

None shown brighter than Koster, crowned by a cascade of jet black dark hair, a lean and tall athletic build and a shy luminous smile that could outshine the sun.

Koster's calm and humble demeanor framed a volcanic heart of competition.

She qualified for the state track meet every year of her high school career — and never placed lower than the top 10.

Koster surged to the state championship in 2010 in the girls' 100m hurdles (:15.55) and captured two state bronze medals during her career (girls 300m hurdles, :47.14, 2010; girls 100m hurdles, :15.37, 2011). She also bolted to fourth place as a sophomore in the girls 100m hurdles (:15.93) in 2009.

Koster qualified for eight individual events in all for state, in either the hurdles' races or the long jump.

When it came to volleyball, Koster fashioned herself into one of the most feared forces as a hitter on either end of the net. She was like a stick of dynamite unleashed, delivering explosive kills like comets for coach Tom Williams' squad.

In Bartlesville’s win her senior season at Tulsa Union, Koster clobbered 18 kills (to complement teammate Johanna Hartsock with 17) and made four blocks.

Bartlesville ran its winning streak to nine straight by sweeping Sand Springs —  by a combined point total of 75-31 — behind Koster’s 13 kills, two aces, three digs and a block.

With Koster and twin dynamo Hartsock leading the way, Bartlesville qualified for state two seasons in a row — in 2009 and 2010. In 2010, the Lady Bruins made it to the state semifinals. 

In addition to finishing in the Top Four in the state, Koster and her teammates claimed the Class 6A Volleyball Academic State Championship for the top grade-point average among all the biggest schools in the state.

The 2010 journey was just the fifth time Bartlesville had advanced to the state volleyball tourney (1997, 2000, 2006 and 2009). Koster had been an impact player on two of those teams (2009, 2010).

In the 2010 state quarterfinals, Bartlesville knocked off Edmond North, 17-25, 25-23, 25-19, 18-25, 15-10. In the fifth set, Koster hammered a kill that put Bartlesville up, 13-9. She also scored the final two points.

Other seniors on the 2010 team (Class of 2011), in addition to Hartsock and Koster, included Taylor Aurentz, Brittney Berling, Taylor Garrett, Kelsey Gerrish, Emily Mueller and Kaitlin Thompson.

To put that accomplishment — back-to-back state tournament appearances (2009, 2010) in perspective, Bartlesville has not been back to state in the 15 years since the graduation of Koster and her fellow seniors.

Seeing her fly around the track and surmount hurdles with the grace of a dark-haired comet  — or seeing her rise to gravity's ceiling to explode a volleyball into a lightning bolt — is only a memory now.

But there was a time when was on the roster of the sports aristocracy in Oklahoma during her era.

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This series has included the following athletes, who are listed in no particular order

-Jena’ Williams

-Eric Rolfs

-Chris Smith

-Jill Bryan

-Barron Tanner Jr.

-Hailey Tucker

-Jeremy Dunkle

-Whitney Metcalf

-Tim Hamilton