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Atlantic Sun mourns with USC Upstate in wake of tragedy

The USC Upstate community is mourning the tragic loss of four student athletes who died in a car crash involving five of them early Sunday morning.

The 2014 Ford Mustang was traveling on 4th Street, about three miles from the school, when it veered off the road and smashed into a tree and caught fire, authorities told Spartanburg media.

Men’s soccer players James Campbell, 21, from Greenville, South Carolina; Horace Sproull IV (Mills), 20, from Birmingham; cross country runner Joshua Lee, 20, from Glendale, South Carolina; and tennis player Sarah Vande Berg, 21, of Zephyrhills did not survive Sunday morning’s crash.

Tennis player Felicia Ahlborg, 20, a native of Sweden, survived the crash and is in “fair condition,” according to local reports.

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On Sunday morning, the fellow Atlantic Sun Conference school’s Twitter account posted a message that reads, “There are no words to describe the loss to our USC Upstate family. Our thoughts and prayers are with their loved ones. #SpartanStrong.”

A candlelight vigil was held Monday night at the USC Upstate soccer field to honor the lives of the four students lost. Upstate students, all in green, flooded into the stadium in support.

Several other Atlantic Sun schools have reached out to the mourning South Carolina school over social media.

Prior to their midday match Sunday afternoon, the FGCU women’s soccer team and Kennesaw State took a moment of silence in support, tweeting that “Today, we are all #SpartanStrong.”

During the Bedford Cup this weekend, the FGCU women’s tennis team will be wearing green ribbons and wristbands in support of Upstate, according to FGCU Athletics Director Ken Kavanagh.

Many other A-Sun schools have also reached out with their condolences to the Spartan community.

“We’re all just reaching out to let USC Upstate know that we’re willing to do whatever they need in this time of tragedy,” Kavanagh said. “The whole school is dealing with this, so whether it be rescheduling a game with them this weekend or cancelling one, we’re all willing to.”

The men’s soccer team, now two players short, is expected to travel to Boone, North Carolina, for a game against Appalachian State Friday evening. The men’s cross-country team is also expected to travel to North Carolina for the Wake Forest Invitational on Friday. The women’s tennis team does not have a match scheduled until January.

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