Penn State track and field star Danae Rivers doesn’t feel like there’s much else she needs to do to solidify herself as a Nittany Lion legend.

As a junior in 2019, Rivers broke a Penn State record by running the indoor mile in 4:29.27. She’s also a three-time Mid-Atlantic Women’s Track Athlete of the Year, a 10-time Big Ten Champion, and Penn State’s female Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2019-20 seasons.

After she elected to use her extra year of eligibility and return to Happy Valley for the 2020-21 campaign, Rivers decided there was one more challenge she wanted to tackle at Penn State: dance in THON.

“It was like three weeks ago when I decided I was gonna dance,” Rivers said. “It was always something I was interested in even as a freshman, but Big Tens always linked up right after THON, so we were always adamant about staying healthy and not being around crowds. I never really had the opportunity to go inside until last year.”

At Rivers’ first THON experience in February 2020, she and a few teammates managed to spend some time in the Bryce Jordan Center. Needless to say, she loved the experience.

“I was just like, ‘This is something I’d love to be a part of and be able to dance,'” Rivers said. “I like to dance, and it’s for a good cause. Why not do it?”

While Rivers was hooked after her first experience in the BJC last year, it obviously won’t be the same environment this time around. There won’t be a whole lot going on in the arena itself, and dancers will take on the 46 hours without the support of the huge crowd behind them.

Rivers explained that she’ll be taking part in the THON livestream and dancing from her apartment. She’s already mapped out some of what she’ll do over the course of the 46 hours thanks to a schedule that was sent out, including a few video game challenges that she’s excited to take part in.

“I’ve thought about ways that I can keep myself engaged and interested,” Rivers said. “I’m gonna get some strobe lights and have also rented some gear from [Media Tech]. I’ve got a nice speaker and some technology to film, so I’ve been thinking about ways to engage myself.”

While she won’t be able to see friends or teammates much throughout the weekend due to COVID-19-related precautions, Rivers has plenty of other ideas to connect with folks.

She said that she’ll likely set up a couple of support session Zoom calls with friends and family, but Rivers also has another way to connect with supporters. Her collaborative “THON Jams” playlist on Spotify gives her a chance to listen to songs added by anyone to help her get through standing for 46 hours. Check it out here.

“I was thinking of playing that at some hour in the beginning of THON,” Rivers said.

Along with that playlist, Rivers has already connected with a few DJs who will join her on Instagram Live to keep things fresh over the course of the weekend.

Several other Penn State student-athletes are set to dance in THON 2021, including men’s hockey forward Adam Pilewicz. Rivers added that she’ll be in close contact with women’s lacrosse player Rachel Rosen through the Student-Athlete Advisory Board.

“It’s cool cause you can connect with different people in different sports as well, and people outside of sports,” Rivers said.

As strange as a virtual THON may be, Rivers is clearly ready to stay connected with and supported by friends, family, and other Nittany Lion student-athletes. She’s excited to kick things off when all dancers stand at 6 p.m. Friday and put a stamp on her final few months as a Penn State student.

“Looking back at my running career and realizing that there’s been a lot of opportunities for me to give back and a lot of volunteering,” Rivers said. “This is a way for me to give back to the community and cap off my fifth year. I think it’s a really bittersweet way to do it, and I’m excited for it.”