Tragedy in Tennessee: Milligan University Mourns Two Cyclists Killed in Horrific Highway Collision

The tight-knit community of American bicycle racers is mourning the deaths of two collegiate athletes following a deadly collision with a driver on August 19 in rural Tennessee, an event that has sent shockwaves through the cycling world and ignited a national conversation regarding road safety for vulnerable users. According to multiple reports and local law enforcement updates, 11 members of the Milligan University collegiate cycling team were conducting a routine training ride in the scenic but treacherous terrain of northeast Tennessee when a driver plowed his vehicle into the group. The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to an urgent emergency call shortly after the collision, arriving at a scene of devastation where they discovered two of the young cyclists had succumbed to their injuries instantly, while seven others were left with a range of injuries, some of them critical.

Milligan University, a private Christian institution known for its robust athletic programs and intimate campus culture, officially identified the two deceased victims as Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers. Both were second-year students at the school, known not only for their prowess on the bike but for their dedication to their studies and their integration into the "Buffaloes" community. The loss of these two young lives has left a void in the 900-student campus located near Johnson City, Tennessee. In a poignant statement released via social media, university President Stephen Waers expressed the collective heartbreak of the faculty, staff, and student body. "I would like to invite the entire community into prayer with us, into grief with the families, with us, and into deep prayer for the families of those we have lost," Waers said, emphasizing the spiritual and communal support necessary to navigate such an unfathomable tragedy.

As the news rapidly proliferated across social media platforms, the global cycling community rallied in a display of solidarity. Tributes and messages of condolence were published by prominent collegiate cycling powerhouses, including Lees-McRae University, Fort Lewis College, and Marian University—institutions that frequently compete against Milligan on the national stage. USA Cycling, the sport’s national governing body, also issued a statement mourning the loss, highlighting the inherent risks athletes face when training on public infrastructure and the profound loss of potential within the sport’s developmental ranks.

The impact of the tragedy reached far beyond the borders of Tennessee, stretching across the Atlantic to the professional peloton in Europe. Megan Jastrab, a 24-year-old professional cyclist, Milligan graduate, and Olympic bronze medalist, learned of the accident while preparing for a high-stakes professional race in Belgium. Jastrab, who has become one of the most recognizable faces in American road racing, was a star for the Milligan collegiate team from 2019 until her graduation in 2023. "I’m absolutely heartbroken," Jastrab told reporters. "Loss like that is something you really can’t fathom. There are no words that can sum up what the Milligan community is feeling right now." For Jastrab, the news was deeply personal, as she had spent years training on the very roads where her former teammates were struck. "I’ve lost count how many times I trained on those same roads," she added, reflecting on the familiarity of the asphalt that has now become a site of mourning.

On August 20, the legal ramifications of the incident began to take shape as officials in Carter County, Tennessee, published a detailed arrest affidavit. The document formally accused the driver, identified as 69-year-old John Alexander Benfield, of five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle and two counts of vehicular homicide. The affidavit, which provides a chilling account of the moments leading up to the crash, cited the observations of Trooper Mason Bowen of the Tennessee State Patrol, the first officer to reach the scene. Bowen reported a distinct odor of marijuana emanating from Benfield’s vehicle following the collision, a detail that suggests potential impairment played a role in the tragedy.

Perhaps most damning was the affidavit’s description of the driver’s behavior prior to impact. According to the report, Benfield was traveling behind another vehicle in the outside lane of Highway 19E, a hilly and winding road that traverses the wooded, rural stretches of Carter County. As the lead vehicle approached the pack of 11 cyclists, the driver safely merged into the inside lane to provide the athletes with the necessary clearance—a standard safety maneuver often mandated by "Move Over" laws. However, Benfield allegedly failed to follow suit. Instead, he continued in the outside lane at speed, making no attempt to slow down or avoid the group before striking them from behind. "His failure to maintain sufficient following distance and control to safely react to the bicyclists occupying the roadway, his subsequent collision with the group of bicyclists, the serious and critical injuries resulting from the collision, I believe Mr. Benfield operated his vehicle with a reckless perceive or disregard for the safety of others," Trooper Bowen wrote in his official report.

The location of the crash, Highway 19E, is emblematic of the challenges faced by rural cyclists. While the road offers the elevation gains and low traffic volumes that are ideal for endurance training, its blind curves and varying shoulder widths can create "trap" scenarios where drivers and cyclists have limited time to react to one another. In this instance, however, the prosecution’s narrative suggests that the presence of the cyclists was clearly signaled by the lead car’s lane change, making Benfield’s failure to react an act of gross negligence rather than a mere accident of geography.

To understand the weight of this loss, one must look at the unique culture of Milligan University’s cycling program. Unlike many American universities where cycling is relegated to a club-level sport with minimal funding, Milligan is part of an elite tier of schools that treats cycling as a varsity sport, offering scholarships to attract top-tier talent. This model has transformed the northeast Tennessee region into a hub for aspiring professionals. Megan Jastrab’s trajectory is a testament to this success. A cycling prodigy from Southern California with numerous junior national titles, Jastrab chose Milligan specifically because it allowed her to balance a world-class racing career with a rigorous academic schedule in exercise physiology and business.

"Cycling became my job while I was doing university, but I could race on the collegiate team and have a lot of fun," Jastrab recalled. "It allowed me to balance the pressure of trying to qualify for the Olympics while reminding me that I like to race my bike because it’s fun." She noted that the school’s administration went to great lengths to support her, allowing her to take classes remotely while traveling the globe for Olympic qualifiers and professional races in Europe. This flexibility and support are hallmarks of the Milligan program, which Jastrab described as more of a family than a traditional athletic team.

The program’s "bike house," complete with mountain bike trails and a cyclocross track, served as a communal center where scholarship athletes and recreational riders could mingle. "It was such a welcoming atmosphere for new cyclists," Jastrab said. "The team did a great job of showing kids what cycling is for, which is to have fun, be active, and make community." This emphasis on inclusivity means that the loss of Engdahl and Rogers will resonate far beyond the cycling roster. In a school of only 900 students, the social circles are tightly overlapping. "It’s so small that you know everybody there," Jastrab explained. "You don’t just have your friends on the cycling team. It’s the whole campus that will feel this loss."

The tragedy also highlights a grim reality for cyclists across the United States. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), cyclist fatalities have seen a troubling upward trend over the last decade, often exacerbated by distracted driving and the increasing size of passenger vehicles. The mention of marijuana in the affidavit also touches upon the growing concern of drug-impaired driving in states where enforcement and detection methods are still evolving. For the cycling community, this incident is a visceral reminder that even when riding in a large, visible group and following traffic laws, athletes remain at the mercy of the motorists with whom they share the road.

As Carter County prepares for the legal proceedings against John Alexander Benfield, the Milligan community is beginning the long process of mourning. Memorials have already begun to appear near the site of the crash on Highway 19E, with "ghost bikes"—bicycles painted entirely white—expected to be placed in honor of Engdahl and Rogers. These somber monuments serve as both a tribute to the fallen and a silent plea to drivers to remain vigilant.

For the seven injured cyclists, the road to recovery will be both physical and psychological. Surviving such a high-speed impact often involves long-term rehabilitation for orthopedic injuries, but the trauma of losing teammates in such a violent manner can leave scars that last a lifetime. The university has pledged to provide counseling services to the survivors and the broader student body as they grapple with the sudden absence of two of their own.

In Europe, Megan Jastrab continues to carry the weight of the news as she competes on the world stage. Her success serves as a beacon of what the Milligan program can achieve, but today, her thoughts are far from the podium. "I feel the loss and I’m all the way over here in Europe," she said, her voice reflecting the distance and the shared grief of a community bound by the love of the sport and the shared experience of the open road. As the investigation continues, the cycling world remains united in a singular hope: that such a tragedy might finally spur the systemic changes in driver education and infrastructure needed to ensure that no other team has to endure such a devastating loss.