Glencoe athlete killed in Mankato crash

A former Glencoe Silver-Lake cross country and track star was killed Tuesday afternoon after she was struck by a vehicle while running in Mankato.

Catherine Delwiche, 18, of Glencoe, was running near the Minnesota State University-Mankato campus. She was accompanied by a fellow first-year women’s cross-country teammate, Laura Palmer, 18, of Pittsville, Wis., who was riding a bicycle at the time.

According to the State Patrol, at 4:01 p.m. a Mankato man, 57-year-old Dale Hoechst, was driving south on the 1200 block of Warren Street, when his 1998 Honda CR-V crossed into the northbound lane, hopped onto the sidewalk and struck both Palmer and Delwiche. The sport-utility vehicle then hit a phone junction box and a tree before coming to rest at a sign.

Delwiche was taken to Immanuel St. Joseph’s Hospital in Mankato, where she was pronounced dead. Palmer received what the State Patrol described as minor injuries, but was held overnight at the hospital for observation. Hoechst had no apparent injuries.

The State Patrol reports the road was wet at the time of the accident and alcohol was not considered to be a factor in the crash. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

In an online news release, MSU Mankato president Richard Davenport expressed “his deepest sympathies and condolences to Catherine’s family, friends, team members and acquaintances.”

Delwiche was a star cross country runner at G-SL, earning six all-conference awards and winning two Wright County Conference meets. She also qualified for the Class A State Meet four times, including 2004, in which she helped the Panthers to a state championship title. Delwiche was part of the Hutchinson Leader All-Area Team in track last spring.

In an interview with the Leader last October, Delwiche talked about how running was always a family sport.

“Everyone in my family runs. My dad would take us on runs for a couple of miles. I grew up with it, and I love it.