LSU Pole Vaulter, 18, Who Died in On-Campus Car Crash Remembered for ‘Big Smile’
Mar. 15, 2025Dillon Reidenauer.Photo:Dillon Reidenauer/Instagram
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Dillon Reidenauer/Instagram
Reidenauer, 18, was one of two people killed in a fiery car crash on LSU’s campus on Wednesday, Feb. 26 when 23-year-old motorcyclist Bodhi Linton collided with her car, causing both vehicles to “immediately burst into flames,” according to localWBRZ.
In the days since Reidenauer’s death, those who knew the 18-year-old standout pole vaulter have shared memories about her competitive drive and upbeat personality.
“If you asked the teachers, they would tell you that she was a sweet, kind kid,” Elicia Ocmond, the athletic director at Fontainebleau High School in Louisiana, told local news outletNOLArecently, remembering the late track and field star.
Reidenauer’s former high school track coach Sam Sanders told the outlet that the LSU freshman was “one of the most driven people” he’d ever met.
“Dillon was a model student-athlete,” Sanders told NOLA. “She was the kind of person any coach would want on any team.”
Dillon Reidenauer.Dillon Reidenauer/Instagram
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“That’s Dillon, I mean, big smile. Always in a good mood. Never in a bad mood,” Mouton told the outlet. “It’s very sad.”
“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,” Shaver 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.”
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The universityhad toutedthe Abita Springs, La., native as “one of the best pole vaulters in the state of Louisiana coming out of high school” after she committed to LSU to continue her track and field career. In her senior year of high school, Reidenauer had earned a silver medal in the outdoor LHSAA State Championships and bronze in the state’s indoor competition.
source: people.com
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