On Feb. 23 five members of Harding’s rugby team were involved in a car accident. The team was headed to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to compete in the conference tournament after winning their division.
Joseph Kinder, Marcel Belliveau, Alex Petty, Kaleb Williams and Dylan Treadwell were traveling on the interstate at the speed limit of 70 miles per hour when the accident occurred. Kinder, Belliveau, Petty and Williams did not suffer any serious injuries, but Treadwell was hospitalized with internal bleeding. After having surgery to remove parts of his colon and small intestine, Treadwell was released from the hospital on Feb. 28 but still faces a long recovery period.
None of the players involved in the accident played in the conference match. According to sophomore player Hunter Beck, four of the players involved were starters and the fifth usually played at least half of each match. After the accident it was hard for team to be able to focus on winning their match, and they almost did not compete in the tournament, Beck said.
“We considered not playing, but half of our team was there,” Beck said. “For three guys that was going to be their last Harding game. We didn’t want to rob them of that.”
The team ended up losing their match and not advancing in the tournament, but that was not their largest concern that day, according to Beck. The team is happy to still have the five players safe. The experience shook the team up, Beck said, but also tightened the bonds between the players.
“Playing under that kind of stress brought us closer,” Beck said. “Before the match, (senior player) Hayden Dorsett – he’s kind of our coach – told us to just go out there, play, and try to have fun.”
