Indiana State University is mourning the tragic loss of three students.
Football players Christian Eubanks and Caleb VanHooser, along with fellow student Jayden Musili, were killed on Aug. 21 after a single-vehicle accident occurred in Riley, IN. According to police, there were a total of five people in the car. ISU football players Omarion Dixon and John Moore were rushed to the hospital and are currently out of intensive care but remain in serious condition.
Musili, 19, a sophomore from Fort Wayne, IN, became an ISU student this year and was a student enrolled in the Pathway to Blue program, a bridge program between Ivy Tech Community College and ISU. Eubanks, 18, a freshman from Waukegan, Ill., and VanHooser, 19, a freshman from Liberty Township, OH, were part of the ISU Sycamores football program.
"There are no words to express the depth of our sadness about this tragedy," ISU president Dr. Deborah J. Curtis said in a statement issued Aug. 22. "We send our condolences to the family and friends of the students involved."
Added Curtis, "The Sycamore family is mourning and will support each other in this time of grief."
Director of the Pathway to Blue program, Sadé Walker, remembers Musili as a hard worker with a positive attitude. "His smile was infectious," Walker shared in a statement. "He worked very hard to navigate college. He was very excited about his classes and becoming a Sycamore."
Sherard Clinkscales, the school's director of athletics, shared that his heart was "broken at the loss of these three souls." His statement continued, "Life is so precious, and it is very difficult to comprehend when tragic events like this happen. They will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences and prayers go to each of their families."
ISU student athletes gathered at the football team's home venue, Memorial Stadium, on the night of Aug. 21 to mourn the tragedy, with the team forgoing practice the following day.