BYU NewsNet - Track Athlete Killed in Car Accident

A BYU track athlete was killed in a car accident early Friday morning while another former Cougar track star received serious injuries.

Chelsi Petersen, a 20-year-old freshman from St. George, died on the scene after a Subaru struck the Dodge Intrepid she was riding in as it attempted to turn left off of US-189 onto Squaw Peak Road in Provo Canyon, state troopers said.

Paul Smith, a former BYU sprinter and the driver of the Intrepid, was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center where he is in serious but stable condition.

"Words cannot begin to express our feelings," said Craig Poole, BYU women's track coach. "It's devastating. Chelsi was one of the sweetest young ladies we have ever had on our team. She had a tremendous desire to be successful. She wanted to be here at BYU competing more than anything else in the world. It's just really too difficult to comprehend at the moment."

Petersen was a versatile athlete, competing in the heptathlon and 1,600-meter relay for the Cougars. Last month the freshman finished seventh in the grueling two-day event at the Mountain West Conference Championships, scoring a lifetime-best 4,883 points. Close friends and teammates remember her as thoughtful and outgoing, with a contagious laugh that uplifted the spirits of everyone around her.

"She was a bright, energetic young lady, very supportive of her teammates," assistant women's coach Dick Legas said. "Chelsi made you smile just being around her."

Petersen and teammate Mindy Robins, or "Cho and Mo" as they liked to be called, were inseparable. The pair trained together for the same events, enrolled in some of the same classes and usually roomed together when the team traveled for out-of-state meets.

"They always had so much fun," Legas said. "Sometimes they'd show up late for a team meeting but you couldn't get mad at them because they were so darn cute."

Robins even remembers Petersen almost missing her heat of the 100-meter-hurdles because she was so concerned that Robins tripped over a hurdle the heat before.

"She was so worried about me she almost missed the race," Robins said. "I told her I was OK and almost had to force her go back to start her heat."

Nicole Rasmussen, BYU women's team captain, also remembered Petersen's sense of humor and dedication to her team, always willing to run a leg of the 1,600-meter relay even after competing in multiple events.

"She always dreaded the 4 by 400," Rasmussen said. "The coaches didn't like to tell her too early that she had to run it, but she always ran amazing. She was an incredible athlete."

The women's track team plans on traveling together to Petersen's funeral in St. George, where Robins said the team will give a special blanket and a picture album to Petersen's family.

"We wanted to do something nice for her family," Robins said. "It's just such a horrible tragedy for all of us - we need to get through it together."

Both passengers were wearing seatbelts. Smith, a former BYU All-American sprinter, sustained a broken clavicle, several broken ribs and a collapsed lung. The 24-year old will have to suspend plans of competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer in Oregon to recover from his injuries.

"I don't know with everything going on if that's [the trials] even a concern for him," BYU men's track coach Mark Robison said after visiting Smith in the hospital. "I was surprised how good he looked, but he's still just in shock. He'll land back on his feet, but it will be very difficult for him, and the physical part might be easiest."

The accident took place just after midnight. Utah Highway Patrolman Cameron Roden said state troopers do not believe speed was a factor.

The driver of the Subaru walked away from the accident unscathed while the passenger sustained minor injuries.