The DelVal wrestlers and their coach/AD Steve Cantrell – along with four wrestlers from Pacific University in Oregon – were among those hit by Lakeisha N. Holloway, 24, who is accused of intentionally driving her car onto the sidewalk repeatedly on a busy stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, killing a woman from Arizona and injuring dozens of others on Sunday night. http://intermatwrestle.com/articles/15412
The athletes from both schools were in town to compete at Wartburg Desert Duals wrestling tournament. Although the Delaware Valley wrestlers and Cantrell were released from the hospital and expected to make full recoveries, the coach decided to pull the team from the tournament.
"We need to feel blessed. The way our students acted at the scene and the way they were caring for everyone was amazing," said Cantrell. "I called the tournament director and said, 'It doesn't make sense to focus on wrestling today.' They have gone through something emotional and they are processing what they witnessed."
The coach and his wrestlers were on their way to see Star Wars after working out in preparation for Monday's Desert Duals tournament before the accident, WPVI-TV reported. The team was taken to a nearby hospital.
"They were released after a couple of hours, mostly bumps, bruises and scrapes. Now they're just shaken up emotionally," Laurie Ward of Delaware Valley University said.
The DelVal wrestlers received counseling while in Las Vegas and will have access to counseling on campus, according to the Doylestown, Pa. school.
"The University is thankful that Steve and our student-athletes were not more seriously injured," said Dr. April Vari, DelVal's vice president for student affairs. "Please keep all involved in the incident in your thoughts and prayers."
Holloway is accused of deliberately swerving her car onto the sidewalk two or three times in front of the Paris Hotel and Casino at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time Monday. At least one individual who was struck landed on the car's windshield, shattering it.
Holloway, who resided in Oregon, had been in Las Vegas for about a week, living in her 1996 Oldsmobile sedan with her three-year-old daughter, parking the car at garages throughout the city, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.
After the incident, Holloway parked at a casino a few blocks away, telling a parking attendant that she had run down people and asked the valet to call 9-1-1, Lombardo said. Her daughter, who was in the back seat, was not hurt.
Authorities declined to comment on a potential motive and said they were struggling to piece together Holloway's background.
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