April 1, 2008

PENSACOLA, Fla. -

A Candlelight Vigil for Ashley Collis, the Sophomore Cross Country and Track athlete who died March 22, will be held tonight, April 1, at 7 p.m. The vigil will take place on the lawn between the Field House (Building 54) and the tennis courts. Students, faculty and staff are all invited to attend the event to honor Ashley's memory.

Ashley Collis was 19 years old, when she passed away on Saturday, March 22nd, as a result of a car accident. She was traveling to the Atlanta area to be with her family for Easter when the accident occurred. This was the second tragedy within the UWF Athletic family this semester, as the women's golf team lost Danielle Smith in a traffic accident in mid January.

Collis previously attended Truitt McConnell College her freshman year, and graduated from John McEachern High School in her hometown of Powder Springs, Georgia. Collis had helped the Lady Bears of Truitt McConnell to a National Junior College Athletic Association Region title, as she finished in 8th place in the regional championship race. She was expected to compete very well for the Argos in the future, despite having to battle through various injuries during the fall cross country season.

Head coach Matt Dobson said the team was very saddened by the event. "We are a very close knit unit, and Ashley had some great friendships among teammates. She was a very easy-going, likeable person, and such a positive influence on the rest of the team. She was just a great kid from a small town, a truly genuine person, and we are going to miss her."

Despite battling injuries this past cross country season, Collis ran in two meets and accompanied the team for several other meets, as she was dedicated to help the team in any way. Collis ran in the Mt. Dew Invitational at Gainesville this past fall, and ran in the Argos Invitational meet in late September, where she turned in a 24:52 for the 5K event.