From her global upbringing to her involvement in sports, junior thrower Angeludi “Angel” Asaah is no stranger to change. Born in Germany to a military family, she grew up traveling until finally settling in Hawaii for high school. Consequently, she learned to adapt to transitions, a skill that would serve her well in sports.
“I played basketball, volleyball, and track,” said Asaah. “After COVID, when we had our last year and a half, I just stuck to throwing.” It didn’t take long for her to achieve success.
In her senior year, she made Hawaii’s state championships and won first place in shot put. However, the prospect of throwing in college — or being a student-athlete at all — was not yet on her radar. She was originally more interested in attending smaller liberal arts colleges, but this trajectory shifted once she visited Penn.
After walking onto the Penn track and field team, she gained her footing through trying different throwing events. Soon, her prowess in discus and shot put became clear; she took third place in the 2023 USA U20 Championships in discus as a freshman. The next year, she consistently made the podium despite recovering from a knee injury sustained at the beginning of her sophomore season.
“It was an overusage … I was the first one to practice and the last one to leave freshman year,” said Asaah. “I’ve learned to communicate better with … my trainer on how I’m feeling.”
Today, the athletic tape on her knees has become part of her uniform on competition day. It’s a badge of resilience, representing how far she has come.
Junior year is where it has all come together.
During the indoor season, she secured 2025 first team All-Ivy honors and claimed first in the 2025 All-Ivy Heptathlon. Her shot-put streak didn’t stop there: During the outdoor season, she rewrote the Quakers’ record book twice in one day, finishing first in shot put with a mark of 16.52 meters at the 2025 Transatlantic Series.
In the discus throw, she finished first at the 2025 Penn Challenge and placed second at the South Florida Invitational with a new career best of 57.04 meters. Currently, she’s less than half a meter away from setting Penn’s new discus record. Nationally, she is No. 12 in NCAA outdoor women’s shot put. Even so, these milestones are more than just numbers. They are the product of years of perseverance powered by the community around her.
Asaah’s impact extends beyond the throwing circle. Her drive to serve others began during her sophomore year of high school when the COVID-19 pandemic began. She joined her school’s community service club, where she sewed and helped others make handmade masks for homeless shelters in Hawaii.
Asaah knew that she wanted to keep giving back after starting her journey at Penn, and she has done so by mentoring with the Young Quakers Community Athletics program, which teaches students in West Philadelphia public schools to play sports.
“It’s just an honor to be able to work so much with the kids all the time,” said Asaah. “It’s definitely a priority for me.”
Her self-motivation and passion for community carries over into her relationship with athletics.
“Her grittiness at practice and in meets, her determination to better herself, and her devotion to her teammates are second to none,” senior thrower Scott Dochat said.
Looking ahead to Penn Relays, Asaah will be competing in both the shot put and discus throw.
“Angel has matured as a competitor this year,” said coach Isaiah Simmons. “She is extremely athletic, and when she is confident, the two have blended nicely.”
Fueled by recent successes, Asaah is gearing up for her best Penn Relays performance yet. She hopes to chase the discus record and challenge herself by competing against new throwers — but one of the Penn Relays events that she’s excited about isn’t even one that she’s competing in.
“Young Quakers, the elementary students, will be racing relays on Thursday morning, so I’ll help out with that,” Asaah said.
Aside from her commitment to mentoring young athletes, Asaah is strongly engaged in campus life. She serves as the vice president of Student Athlete Wellness Ambassadors, is a board member of Black Student-Athletes at Penn, and was recently inducted into both the Friars and Onyx senior societies. A science, technology, and society major, she is also minoring in legal studies and history while completing a certificate in law.
For someone who has lived across the world, Asaah has found a constant: community. Whether it’s training with her team, cheering on Young Quakers, or contributing to the campus environment, she continues to land beyond the mark — one change at a time.
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