Olivia Dunne, along with her teammates, paid tribute to LSU Tigers track and field star Dillon Reidenauer, who passed away in a car accident.
During their meet against George Washington, the team wore black ribbons in their hair to honor the 18-year-old pole vaulter. The accident occurred when a motorcycle crashed into the vehicle she was in, causing both vehicles to catch fire near Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Dunne’s team mourned the loss
On her Instagram story, Olivia Dunne shared a photo with teammate Alyona Shchennikova, both wearing black silk ribbons in their ponytails. The picture, taken in the locker room before their meet against George Washington, included the caption “Competing for Dillon tonight” with a black heart emoji.
In another story, she posted a black-and-white photo of Dillon Reidenauer during one of her competitions.
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Friends and supporters react to reidenauer’s passing
LSU track and field coach Dennis Shaver expressed his sorrow in a statement: “We are devastated by the tragic passing of Dillon Reidenauer, who was taken from us far too soon… Everyone in our LSU track and field family is keeping Dillon’s loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, as well as the other person who lost their life in the incident.”
He added, “We will do everything possible to ensure our student-athletes and staff have the resources they need to process this terrible loss. I would also like to thank Texas A&M for offering their support and compassion while we are on tour in College Station for the SEC Championships.”
Similarly, Sam Sanders, Reidenauer’s high school coach, described her as a model student-athlete, saying: “She was the kind of person any coach would want on their team… She had her heart set on LSU and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve that goal… It’s hard to process losing someone so suddenly like this. It’s a very somber day.
