On Thursday afternoon, four members of the Bucknell University men’s cross-country team were hit by a vehicle during a group run in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, . Three were treated for minor injuries and the fourth for moderate injuries, .
A source close to the athletes told ܳٲthat the team, whose , was running against traffic approximately one mile from campus on the two-lane Smoketown Road. There, according to the police report, a Nissan Ultima struck the group. Police did not list a motive or explanation for the incident.
Four runners were taken to the hospital for medical treatment. Of the group, three were discharged that day and a fourth the following day, according to Kevin Donner, head coach of the Bison, Bucknell’s cross-country team. Donner told ϳԹ that all athletes taken to the hospital sustained numerous cuts and bruises. The athlete with moderate injuries—Benjamin Mueller, according to the police report—remained hospitalized overnight with a broken nose and concussion.
The Bison were scheduled to compete at Penn State’s Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Friday. In light of the accident, Donner said he decided to withdraw both the men’s and women’s teams from the event.
“We didn’t think the team was in the right mental state,” Donner told ϳԹ. He said the team had missed meals and runs as they visited teammates in the hospital.
“Our first and foremost concern is for the health and welfare of the student athletes,” Jon Terry, associate director of athletics and director of athletic communications at Buckness University, told ϳԹ.
Donner expects all athletes to make a full recovery. According to the team’s release, the Bison will compete at the Dickinson Long-Short Invitational on September 26.