EPHRAIM, Utah — The Snow College campus was quiet Tuesday night as students mourned a teammate, a classmate and a friend.
Paige Rydalch, a softball player at Snow College, was killed in a car crash on State Route 132 Monday morning.
Hundreds of students, faculty and community members gathered Tuesday inside the gym at the college's Activities Center to remember Rydalch. Students shared memories of the sophomore, through tears.
Monday morning, Rydalch was driving south on Route 132 and lost control due to the wet, slushy road near Fountain Green, about 20 miles north of Ephraim, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. Her car spun and went into the oncoming lanes, where it was hit by a truck towing a trailer. She was killed on impact, UHP said.
Rob Nielson, the athletic director and vice president of external affairs at Snow College, coached Rydalch last year.
“Knowing her and her qualities, she was always first everywhere," he said. "She was so positive for her teammates, and she loved her teammates. Her teammates loved her. She made everybody better, which is truly remarkable in the sporting world. It wasn't about her. It was about our teammates.”
Rydalch was from the town of Stockton and went to Tooele High School.
Neilson said the softball team will be dedicating their season to Rydalch, in honor of the way she lived her life on and off the field.
