College Sports Information Directors of America

Pocatello, ID -- A pair of Idaho State University vans hit icy patches along the interstate leading from Boise to Pocatello and rolled, resulting in two separate single-vehicle crashes. Only one player, Ashley Toner, was injured, and she was taken to the Minidoka Hospital as a precaution. Her injuries were deemed minor. The vehicles were returning to Pocatello after Idaho State's 61-49 victory over Boise State earlier in the day. One van was being driven by assistant sports information director Derek Smolik, and there were no other passengers in his van. He had dropped off trainer Hale Abubo and players Tiffany Williams and Yolanda Banks at the Boise airport so they could fly home for Christmas break. The other van was driven by assistant coach Alison Asher, and she had Toner, Annie Anderson, Ashley Thurman, and Lindy Whitley in her van. All of the other players for the team either stayed in Boise or left with via other means of transportation for the holidays. Smolik was the first to report his accident to ISU officials, and reports of the other van accident came to ISU athletic officials while they were at ISU's men's home game with Eastern Oregon, which ISU won 86-68. Dr. M. R. Mickelson contacted doctors at the hospital, and Toner reportedly has abrasions on her thigh, and some stiffness in her back. He believed that Toner might be released tonight in time to head back with the other players and officials to Pocatello. Idaho State Athletic Director Dr. Howard Gauthier had an Idaho State full passenger bus go out to bring everyone back, and the two vans will be towed back to Pocatello. "I'm very thankful, as I'm sure everyone is, that everyone seems to be OK, and that this wasn't worse than it could have potentially been," said Gauthier. The accident along that icy stretch of road near the I-84/I-86 junction was the third in the last three years regarding ISU athletes. On New Year's Eve, 1999 ISU men's basketball players Aaron Bradley and Mamo Rafiq were thrown from their vehicle after hitting black ice, and on March 20, 2000 track athletes Ricci Kilgore, Paul Litchfield, and Nick Herald were injured in a similar accident. Kilgore still uses a wheelchair as the result of that accident.