OSU Plane Crash Victims Include Women's Basketball Coaches; 2 Others Killed in Ark. Crash
Tragedy Occurs 10 Years After Previous OSU Plane Crash
A plane crash in Arkansas has killed the head coach and assistant coach of the Oklahoma State University's women's basketball team, along with two others aboard, 10 months after the 10-year anniversary of a plane crash that killed 10 members of the OSU's men's basketball program.
OSU confirmed on its website that head coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna were killed in the crash that occurred Thursday night in Perry Country, Ark. The pilot and another individual, who have yet to be named, were not affiliated with OSU, the school said in a statement.
"The Oklahoma State family is devastated by this tragedy," said OSU President Burns Hargis. "Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna and the other victims."
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"Kurt was an exemplary leader and a man of character who had a profound impact on his student-athletes," Hargis said. "He was an outstanding coach and a wonderful person. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Shelley, and their children, Sara, Alex and Brett."
Hargis added, "Coach Budke elevated our women’s basketball program to new levels of success. He and his staff raised our profile in the nation’s toughest conference."
"Miranda was an up-and-coming coach and an outstanding role model for our young ladies."
Serna's biography page on the school website describes her as a "tireless worker on the court and as a recruiter."
The Guadalupita, N.M., native was beginning her seventh season with the university's basketball program.
On Jan. 27, 2001, 10 men associated with the the university's basketball team were killed in a plane crash after a game in Colorado.
