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Men's Wrestling

Four injured in Las Vegas incident

Boxer wrestlers return home

Men's Wrestling

Four injured in Las Vegas incident

Boxer wrestlers return home

UPDATED: December 4 with newspaper and TV story links.

FOREST GROVE — Four members of the Pacific University wrestling party were among those injured early Sunday evening when a vehicle plowed into pedestrians on a busy sidewalk on the Las Vegas Strip.

Police say a woman intentionally swerved her car two or three times onto the sidewalk outside the Paris Hotel & Casino at about 6:30 p.m., killing one person and injuring nearly 40 others. Included in that group were two Pacific student-athletes and two former Boxer wrestlers, all of whom sustained non-life threatening injuries.

The Pacific's men's wrestling team was in Las Vegas to compete in the Wartburg Desert Duals on Monday. The team, comprised of 19 student-athletes and coaches, were walking together when the incident occurred. Three of the four injured were transported to a local hospital, two of whom were later released. The other student was kept overnight for observation and released on Monday night.

"Due to the tragic incident in Las Vegas, where four members of the traveling party of our wrestling team were injured and the remainder were witnesses to this terrible event, we have decided that the team will not participate in the scheduled matches on Monday," said Pacific University athletic director Ken Schumann on Sunday evening. "The mental and physical well-being of our student-athletes is our top priority and to attempt to wrestle after experiencing such an event would not be in their best interests."

The team returned home on Monday. The team members have been released for the Winter Break and will reconvene on Monday, Jan. 4, 2016.

"The safety and well-being of our students and employees, both those injured and all who witnessed this traumatic incident, are of paramount importance," Pacific University President Leslie Hallick said on Monday. "We are relieved that none of our students suffered life threatening injuries, but at the same time, saddened to hear of those who were killed or critically injured. We are very thankful to all of the first responders, and to our athletic trainer Eric Pitkanen, who worked tirelessly to treat both the injured and those emotionally shaken by what they witnessed. I am also most appreciative of our coaches and athletic staff for reaching out to our wrestling student-athletes and their families to provide support and to arrange to bring the team home today."

 
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