A&M track legend is killed in crash

Deon Lendore, an Olympic bronze medalwinning sprinter for Trinidad & Tobago and a former NCAA champion at Texas A&M, was killed Monday in a head-on collision near College Station, state police said Tuesday. He was 29.

Lendore, a volunteer assistant at A&M, died after his car drifted across the center line, sideswiped a vehicle and then collided with a sport-utility vehicle, said Sgt. Bryan Washko, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman. Aggies coach Pat Henry said Lendore was driving home from practice.

Lendore died at the scene. The driver of the SUV, a 65-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, DPS said. The driver of the vehicle sideswiped by Lendore before the collision wasn’t injured.

Lendore ran in the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Olympics and anchored Trinidad & Tobago to a bronze medal in the 1,600-meter relay in London in 2012. In 2014, he went undefeated through 14 races at 400 meters while winning individual NCAA indoor and outdoor titles.

“I can’t even express this loss,” Henry said. “Over the years our relationship had changed to not only one of my athletes to coach, but he was loved by my wife, children and grandchildren. He was part of my family. It hurts, it really hurts.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Texas sets date for spring game

Texas will open a month of spring practice on March 22, culminating in the program’s annual Orange-white spring scrimmage at Royal-memorial Stadium on Saturday, April 23.

A game time hasn’t been announced. As always, admission will be free.

Texas welcomes a class ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 5 in the nation, per the 247Sports composite rankings. Former Southlake Carroll and Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers is the centerpiece of coach Steve Sarkisian’s signing class, and the prized transfer will be among those eligible to play in the Orange-white game.