AUSTIN, Texas—It was standing room only Monday night in a meeting room at the San Jacinto Residence Hall on the University of Texas campus as student athletes came to pray for a women’s soccer player who was critically injured when an alleged drunk driver hit her and fled the scene.
Kylie Doniak was still hospitalized in a medically induced coma Monday. Her family members said she suffered multiple broken bones in the crash, and she had swelling on her brain.
The prayer vigil Monday night was sponsored by Athletes in Action, a group supporting the spiritual well-being of female athletes.
A host of athletes attended the vigil, including members of the UT soccer and volleyball teams.
The mood was sad and somber, and it was evident from the seriousness of the situation that many attendees were visibly upset.
"I think there’s just a concern," said Carol Dodds with Athletes in Action. "All these girls are in the prime of their life. They’re thinking about what happens when a life is threatened like this and it makes them think about why do bad things happen to good people? It really kind of stops the college life and just all the fun and makes you think about all those things that are serious in terms of life and death, eternity and what really matters in life."
The alleged drunk driver who hit Doniak, 22-year-old Nicholas Colunga, has been charged with failure to stop and render aid and intoxication assault.
