The text message simply read: “We made it to Tennessee.” University of Maryland, Baltimore County volleyball coach Ian Blanchard received the message from Madison Bingaman at 3:54 p.m. on Aug. 8. It was the last time he heard from her.
The 18-year-old Austin, Texas, resident was traveling with her mother, Peggy, to Maryland excited about beginning her college volleyball career.
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Unfortunately, the 5-foot-11 middle blocker and outside hitter never got the opportunity.
Minutes after the girls known as “Maddie” sent that text message, she was killed when she and her mother were involved in a one-car accident outside Memphis, Tenn. Peggy Bingaman died from her injuries two days later. The mother and daughter were buried Wednesday in St. Louis, where many of Bingaman?s family members live. Blanchard said he plans to attend a memorial service for Bingaman Sunday in Austin, where her high school, Stony Point, is planning on retiring her No. 11 jersey.
Blanchard said he plans to be there.
“If you love somebody or have ever loved somebody,something like this is hard to take,” Blanchard said. “I can only imagine the pain her father and sister are going through. It just makes you want to go home and hug your family and remember how fragile life can be.”
Although Bingaman never played a match for UMBC, Blanchard said most of the players on the team knew her and are taking her death hard. He added the team will plant a tree in Bingaman?s honor on the school?s campus and will dedicate the season to her.
“I care so much about all of my players and this just hurts so much,” Blanchard said. “I’ve just been so impressed with all of the outpouring of support that has come from all over the volleyball community, especially from the other teams in the America East Conference with us.”
Bingaman?s death is the latest tragedy to hit the Catonsville campus this summer. Last month, the UMBC community mourned the deaths of former cross country and track star Mary Rollins and former swimmer Johanna “Micki” Blakely.
A Howard County paramedic, Rollins, 27, accidentally fell while “trying to go from the roof to a catwalk” July 19 at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, said Baltimore Police spokesman Officer Troy Harris. The Bel Air native and C. Milton Wright High School graduate competed for UMBC from 1997-01.
Blakely, a 2001 UMBC graduate, died July 7 from complications linked to sepsis after returning from an internship in London related to her graduate studies in history at the University of South Carolina. The Columbia native competed for the swimming and diving team from 1998-00. Her brother, Steve, competed for UMBC?s men’s team from 2001-03.
The three deaths overshadowed what had been a tremendous year for UMBC sports. The women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time and the men’s lacrosse team won its first NCAA tournament game before falling to Delaware in the quarterfinals.
Also, UMBCjust broke ground on a multi-million dollar renovation of its stadium locker room complex and gave athletics director Charles Brown a three-year contract extension, which runs through the 2010-11 academic year.
Blanchard said the school, including his players, will move on from these tragedies, but it won’t be easy. He said the volleyball team will use “I’ve got to be the best” as their motto this year, which is something Bingaman told him on a number of occasions.
“If everything falls into place, we have the potential to be a great team,” said Blanchard, whose team went 16-15 and advanced to the America East finals in 2006. “But there will always be a piece of us missing without Maddie out there.”
