The Louisiana State University community is in mourning.
Dillon Reidenauer—a freshman on the school’s track and field time—has died following a deadly car crash, the university confirmed. She was 18.
Reidenauer was—per local outlet WBRZ, citing police—traveling on the night of Feb. 26 when her car was struck on the side by motorcyclist Bodhi Linton. Both vehicles reportedly burst into flames and both Reidenauer and Linton died at the scene.
E! News has reached out to local police for comment but has not yet heard back.
According to WBRZ, Linton’s mother Juanita Z. Linton died in a motorcycle crash in May 2024. The 61-year-old reportedly drove into the back of an SUV and was taken to a hospital with head injuries where she later died.
Reidenauer had joined LSU’s track and field team after a promising pole vaulting career at Fontainebleau High School, where she was one of the top prep pole vaulters in Louisiana. She finished second at the 2024 LHSAA State 5A Championships and placed fourth at the same meet as a junior.
The high school’s athletic director Elicia Ocmond described Reidenauer “was a great student and a great kid.”
“There are a lot of kids upset,” she shared, per Nola.com. “If you asked the teachers, they would tell you that she was a sweet, kind kid.”
Simiarlay, Reidenauer’s high school coach Sam Sanders sang his former athlete’s praises.
“Dillon was a model student-athlete,” he said. “She was the kind of person any coach would want on any team.”
Sanders added, “She had her heart set on LSU and she was going to do whatever it took to get that goal.”
The LSU athletic department also mourned the loss of Reidenauer—who was pursuing a degree in interior design at the University—noting the impact the tragedy has had on the team.
“We are devastated by the tragic passing of Dillon Reidenauer, who was taken from us much too soon,” LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver said in a statement on the team’s website. “Everyone in our LSU Track & Field family is keeping Dillon’s loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, as well as those of the other individual lost in the incident.
He added, “We will do everything we can to make sure our student-athletes and staff have the resources they need to process the grief of this terrible loss.”
