In Memmoriam

When I chose to go to Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio), where I got my business degree, I had to make a hard decision. While I knew it was the right school for me, I had to give up my dream of playing Collegiate Volleyball and turn down my chance to play for another University. While I easily made the decision, it wasn't easy to give up playing.

When I got to the University I quickly became involved in the Fieldhouse as a medic for the Rugby and Soccer Teams (Our only sports teams then) and Intramural Sports program. I also met some other Freshman girls that year that were in the same boat as me and we would dominate the Volleyball teams every year.... My Junior year talks were made and we worked ourself into being a NCAA D-III provisional school. That same year myself and the 2 girls I entered with became the Captains of the first ever Franciscan University Womens Volleyball team. That also marked the first year of Cross Country and Softball. The year or two before we had begun basketball, soccer, and baseball teams.

Yesterday, Tuesday August 19th, around 4:30pm a SUV carrying 7 members of the Cross Country team are thought to have swerved to miss a tire on Rt. 22 between Steubenville and Pittsburgh. The SUV lost control, went through a guardrail, down a hill, and flipped several times before coming to rest in the trees. A sophomore Political Science and Business major, Kelly Roggensack, died instantly. 2 students were airlifted to UPMC and the rest were transported to a local hospital.

With having only 2,000 students representing 36 majors, we are a very small school. Our athletics department is even smaller. One of the great things about the school is whether you know personally all 2000 students, you know either their name, or face. While I did not know this student, as I really don't know anyone there anymore, I know what happens on the campus when we loose a student. And it's beautiful.

While many people choose to focus on the sadness of the loss of a person we, as a student body, are blessed to see the glory that they are now experiencing is beyond that of what we have here on earth. Not to negate the sadness or sense of loss, or that there are no tears. There will be many tears, however, from those tears will also flow tears of joy that one of our sisters has... in the words of St. Paul, Run the race and fought the good fight. In fact, in Kelly's case how true are those words, that in her travels to physically run the race... she also completed the greatest race of all.

Please keep Kelly's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers as well as the entire University family.

Thank You.
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."