Two college cyclists in Tennessee were killed and multiple more injured when a vehicle struck the team while it was on a training ride. The driver faces criminal charges.
Milligan University sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed in the collision that occurred around 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 19 in Hampton, about six miles east of where Milligan is located in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Officials said the team was on a training ride when John Benfield, 69, struck the team. In addition to the death of Engdahl and Rogers, seven members of the cycling team were injured and taken to a nearby hospital.
Officials said four people were in the surgical intensive care unit, two were admitted to the hospital but in stable condition and one person was evaluated and released from the hospital.
“It is more important than ever right now that Milligan is a community gathered around Jesus, and we need Jesus deeply,” university president Stephen Waers said in a news conference. “I would like to invite the entire community into prayer with us, into grief with the families with us, and into deep prayer for the families of those we have lost.”
Tennessee Highway Patrol Maj. Roy Brown said it is an active investigation to determine what happened. Officials confirmed Benfield was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. He remains in custody.
Milligan University is a private Christian university with just over 1,200 students. The Buffaloes are part of the NAIA level of college sports.
The Milligan cycling team is a successful one, having just won the men’s team time trial national championship at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, in May. The track team was scheduled to begin its 2026-27 season at the Rock Hill Velodrome in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Aug. 20, but its participation has been canceled according to the athletics website.