Former Long Beach State women’s basketball assistant coach Miranda Serna was killed along with Oklahoma State head coach Kurt Budke and two others on Thursday night in a plane crash in Perry County, Ark. She was 36.
Serna, who was in her seventh year as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, was on a recruiting trip with Budke, 50, to Arkansas when the single-engine plane they were riding in spun out of control and took a nosedive into a wildlife management area, according to the Washington Post.
Perry County Sheriff Scott Montgomery told The Associated Press that deer hunters called emergency officials around 4 p.m. on Thursday after hearing the plane in trouble and seeing it nosedive into a heavily wooded area.
“The plane was spitting and sputtering and then it spiraled and went nose first into the ground,” Montgomery said. “It went straight into the side of the hill.”
The pilot, former Oklahoma state Sen. Olin Branstetter, 82, and his wife, Paula, 79, also died in the accident. There were no survivors.
FAA records showed that the plane, a single-engine Piper PA-28, was built in 1964 and registered to Branstetter, of Ponca City, Okla.
The National Transportation Safety Board told ESPN that it was sending investigators, and that it could take nine months to determine the cause of the crash.
“This is a real tragedy for both families,” Cal State Long Beach President F. King Alexander said via email. “Our thoughts and prayers are with both families. Such a sad loss.”
“All of us in the 49er family are saddened by the tragic loss of Miranda Serna and Coach Budke in a tragic plane crash,” LBSU Athletic Director Vic Cegles said via email. “Miranda was well respected as a women’s basketball coach, but more importantly, she was a terrific person and friend to many in the Long Beach community. Recently, she was a candidate for our coaching position here at the university and I was impressed by her enthusiasm and commitment to excellence. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and the Oklahoma State nation.”
Serna spent two seasons as an assistant at LBSU under former head coach Dallas Bolla. In her first year as a member of the 49ers staff in 1999-2000, the squad advanced to the third round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), made an appearance in the Big West Tournament finals and notched the 15th 20-plus win season in school history. In 2000-01, LBSU was back in the conference finals and finished the campaign with a 17-13 overall record.
Serna also spent time as an assistant at Chicago State, Fresno State and Lousiana Tech. Prior to her stint at LBSU, Serna served as an assistant at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas. That team finished the 1998-99 season with an unblemished 36-0 record and won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship.
As a player, Serna was named the league freshman of the year and earned honorable mention Kodak All-America honors while competing for Central Arizona College during the 1993-94 season. After transferring to Trinity Valley Community College, she helped lead the Lady Cardinals to a 32-4 record and the NJCAA National title in 1996.
Serna then completed her collegiate career at Houston where she competed for the Cougars during the 1996-97 season. She completed her bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Texas A&M-Commerce in 1998.
Disclaimer: The Daily 49er is not responsible for Postings made on www.daily49er.wpengine.com. Persons commenting are solely responsible for Postings made on this website. Persons commenting agree to the Terms of Use of the website. If Postings do not abide by the Rules of Conduct or Posting Regulations as listed in the Postings Policy, the Daily 49er has all rights to delete Postings as it deems necessary. The Daily 49er strongly advises individuals to not abuse their First Amendment rights, and to avoid language suggestive of hate speech. This site also encourages users to make Postings relevant to the article or other Postings.