Holy Cross Mourns Sophomore's Death In Florida Crash

WORCESTER, MA — Holy Cross and the wider Worcester region was mourning the loss of a "passionate and hardworking" student-athlete on Wednesday. Grace Rett, who just turned 20 on Tuesday, was killed when a van she was riding in with her women's rowing teammates collided with a pickup truck in Vero Beach, Florida.

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Holy Cross Dean of Students Michele Murray tried to explain the shock and sadness that had swept the campus in the wake of the Uxbridge native's death.

"Grace was a light to all who knew her," Murray said, breaking into tears. "We pray for her family and all who knew her."

On top of Rett's death, 13 other people were injured in the collision, police said. And as of Wednesday evening, six members of the team, including a coach, were still hospitalized in Florida. A GoFundMe campaign set up to pay for the team's medical expenses had already beat its $5,000 goal a few hours after the crash.

The crash happened just before 7:30 a.m. at a busy intersection on the north side of the city. The rowing team's van was heading south when it went to make a left turn across northbound traffic. A red Dodge pickup truck heading northbound hit the right side of the van. Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said during a press conference that the driver of the van may have crossed against oncoming traffic, although the accident was still under investigation.

Currey said the first police officer on the scene pulled three women out of the van. They were seriously injured, but survived. Another Holy Cross van carrying rowers was behind the wreck; no one on the second van was hurt, police said.

Rett was a 2018 graduate of Marianapolis Preparatory School in Thompson, Connecticut, and on Dec. 22 set a world record by rowing on an indoor machine for 62 straight hours. She was a standout athlete at Marianapolis and was captain of the varsity crew team in 2018. She was majoring in English and was on track.

The team was in Florida to train ahead of the spring rowing season. Rett's family, Holy Cross President Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, and Athletic Director Marcus Blossom traveled to Florida to be with the team, Murray said.

Other members of the Worcester community offered support for the college and the women's rowing team.

"The city of Worcester offers its support and heartfelt condolences to the Rev. Phillip Boroughs and all those in the College of the Holy Cross extended community on today's tragic accident in Florida. Our thoughts are especially with the families of the women's rowing team during this very difficult time," Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said in a statement.

Rett was the first graduate of Marianapolis to compete in rowing at the college level. In announcing the news of her acceptance to Holy Cross in 2018, Rett's high school coach explained how much she meant to the school and her teammates.

"She has an undeniable and tenacious passion for rowing," Marianapolis rowing coach Sean Murphy said in 2018. "She challenges her fellow oarsmen to push themselves to faster times and sounder technique every day. Grace is the strongest girls’ rower we have ever had at Marianapolis, and this is predominantly the result of her own personal drive."

The crash happened near the intersection of the Merrill P. Barber Bridge and Indian River Boulevard in Vero Beach, which is along Florida's Atlantic Coast 80 miles north of West Palm Beach.