UPDATE:
STILLWATER, Okla. —
Former Oklahoma state Sen. Olin Branstetter and his wife Paula were killed in the plane crash in Arkansas that also killed Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna.
OSU spokesman Gary Shutt announced the deaths of the Branstetters at a Friday morning news conference.
The four died when the plane they were in crashed Thursday in the Winona Wildlife Management Area near Perryville, Ark.
Shutt said both Branstetters were pilots. It was not known who was piloting the single-engine plane and Shutt said details of the crash remain unknown.
Shutt said Budke and Serna were flying to Little Rock on a recruiting trip when the plane crashed about 45 miles west of Little Rock.
The Oklahoma State University basketball program is dealing with another tragedy after a small plane crashed in Arkansas killing OSU coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna.
Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip to Arkansas and were killed along with two others, including the pilot, Thursday night in a plane crash in Perry County, Arkansas.
The FAA says the single engine Piper PA-28 seats four people.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said Thursday law enforcement officers confirmed a debris field from a small aircraft about four miles south of Perryville and is investigating the crash.
Perryville is located north of the Ouachita National Forest.
STATEMENT FROM OSU:
(STILLWATER, Okla., November 18, 2011) -- Oklahoma State University women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant women’s basketball coach Miranda Serna were killed along with two others Thursday night in a plane crash in Perry County, Arkansas.
Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip to Arkansas. The other two individuals, including the pilot, were not affiliated with the university. There were no survivors.
“The Oklahoma State family is devastated by this tragedy,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of Kurt Budke, Miranda Serna and the other victims.
“Kurt was an exemplary leader and a man of character who had a profound impact on his student-athletes,” Hargis said. “He was an outstanding coach and a wonderful person. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Shelley, and their children, Sara, Alex and Brett.
“Coach Budke elevated our women’s basketball program to new levels of success,” Hargis said. “He and his staff raised our profile in the nation’s toughest conference.”
“Miranda was an up-and-coming coach and an outstanding role model for our young ladies.”
Mike Holder, OSU vice president for athletics, said, “We are shocked by this terrible loss. Kurt Budke was an incredibly positive influence on his players and was a tremendous coach. He quickly turned our program around and put Cowgirl basketball on the map. Miranda was a tireless worker and great recruiter.”
Holder said Jim Littell, associate head coach, would assume duties as interim head coach. The university announced the Cowgirls will not play games scheduled Saturday and Sunday. OSU counselors and athletic staff are offering assistance to the Cowgirl student-athletes and staff.
Budke was in his seventh season as Cowgirl coach, with an all-time record of 112-83. His team was 1-0 after a convincing victory over Rice Sunday. Under his direction, OSU made postseason appearances each of the past five seasons, including three trips to the NCAA tournament.
In the 2009-10 season, the Cowgirls won 24 games, including a school-record six victories against Top 25 teams, achieved a top-10 national ranking for the first time ever and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Budke transformed a program that endured a winless conference season in 2005-06 into a league title contender and NCAA Sweet 16 participant just two years later.
Before coming to OSU in 2005, Budke was a head coach for 12 seasons at Allen County (Ks.) Community College, Trinity Valley (Tx.) Community College and Louisiana Tech. His career record as a head coach was 465-130. Budke started coaching in 1984 as a graduate assistant at Washburn University before taking an assistant coaching position at Friends University.
A Salina, Kan., native, Budke earned all-conference honors as a player at Barton County (Ks.) Junior College in 1981. Budke was born June 3, 1961 and is married to the former Shelley Balthazor. They have three children; Sara, who is a student at OSU, Alex and Brett.
Miranda Serna was in her seventh season as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. She previously worked in the same capacity at Louisiana Tech under Budke.
Serna helped guide the resurgence of the OSU women’s basketball as the program's recruiting coordinator. As a player, the Guadalupita, N.M. native helped lead Trinity Valley Community College to the NJCAA national title in 1996 and finished her collegiate career at Houston.
Oklahoma State University is a modern land-grant system of interdisciplinary programs that prepares students for success. OSU is America’s Brightest Orange. Through leadership and service, OSU is preparing students for a bright future and building a brighter world for all. As Oklahoma’s only university with a statewide presence, OSU improves the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation, and the world through integrated, high-quality teaching, research, and outreach. OSU has more than 35,000 students across its five-campus system and more than 24,000 on its combined Stillwater and Tulsa campuses, with students from all 50 states and around 120 nations. Established in 1890, OSU has graduated more than 240,000 students to serve the state of Oklahoma, the nation and the world.
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