November 16, 2016
A Gwynedd Mercy University men's cross country runner faced a unique challenge when he was knocked off his feet after a collision with a deer during a race.
The incident occurred Saturday at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
As the competitors climbed up a hill in the beginning of the race, a herd of deer invaded the course. Someone warned the runners to "watch out for the deer," but it was too late. Justin DeLuzio, a senior running his final collegiate race, was upended by the deer.
According to the school's account of the race, the collision happened around the first-mile marker:
"[DeLuzio] was knocked to the ground, flipped over head over heels by a deer that ran across the course, crashing into him and over him. Teammate Matt French saw this happened, and stopped to get Justin back on his feet and would run next to him the remainder of the race."
DeLuzio went on to finish in 302nd place, ahead of 49 other runners.
After the race, head coach Kevin Clark noted that DeLuzio was sore and bruised, but doing fine.
"We were worried about his health for a while but we're proud to see him fight through this along with his teammates, get up and finish his last collegiate cross country race," Clark said.
Check out the video here:
(h/t Sports Illustrated)
