Dakota Wesleyan student-athlete killed in Friday crash

MITCHELL — A Dakota Wesleyan University student-athlete was killed Friday in a car crash.

The school said in a statement that Hadley Wallace died Friday as the result of a car crash. He was a freshman at the school during the 2023-24 school year. He was a player on the school’s football team.

”We were saddened to learn that Hadley Wallace was the victim of Friday’s traffic accident. Hadley had just completed his freshman year at DWU and played football for the Tigers,” Dan Kittle, president of Dakota Wesleyan University, said in a statement.

The Department of Public Safety said it was a one-vehicle crash about five miles south of Delmont.

The driver of a 2012 Ford Escape was traveling southbound on 401st Avenue near 290th Street. For an unknown reason, the vehicle left the roadway, vaulted over a field approach and rolled, ejecting the driver who was found deceased at the scene, officials said.

Though the South Dakota Department of Public Safety has not yet named the individual, a

funeral notice

for Hadley Wallace also notes he died as the result of a car crash and was 19 years old.

Kittle said that the school would have counseling resources available to its campus community in the wake of the death.

“Members of our campus community, including our campus ministry and campus counselor teams, and the athletic department are making sure that resources are available to all students, as well as our employees. In addition, our players and coaches are organizing a time to gather for sharing and reflection,” Kittle said.

Kittle said the school community would mourn the loss of Wallace and extended support to the student’s family, friends and fellow Tigers.

“In moments like this we are reminded of the deep and personal connections students form on our campus, and how far-reaching grief can be when a tragedy such as this occurs,” Kittle said. “We will continue to ask our students and employees to keep Hadley’s family and friends, including his sister Peighten, also a student at DWU, in their prayers during the coming weeks.”

Services for Wallace are being handled by Bittner Funeral Chapel in Mitchell and are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 20, at Hanson High School in Alexandria. Burial will be at Greenhill Cemetery in Alexandria. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Hanson High School with a 6:30 p.m. prayer service.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.

Erik Kaufman joined the Mitchell Republic in July of 2019 as an education and features reporter. He grew up in Freeman, S.D., graduating from Freeman High School. He graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1999 with a major in English and a minor in computer science. He can be reached at ekaufman@mitchellrepublic.com.