UT Martin mourns sudden loss of rodeo student-athlete

MARTIN, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee at Martin is mourning the loss of a rodeo student-athlete.

Wyatt Cole, 20, an agriculture business major from Owenton, Kentucky, passed away Sunday evening, according to the university.

“Wyatt was a super good kid with a great attitude,” UT Martin head rodeo coach John Luthi said in a post on the UTM Sports website. “He had a hard work ethic and came from a great family. Our prayers go out to his family — he will be missed.”

According to a report from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Cole was killed in a one-vehicle crash that occurred around 9 p.m. Sunday on Three Point Road in Martin.

The report says Cole was traveling southbound in a 1998 Toyota Avalon when the vehicle drove off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree.

Cole was not wearing a seat belt, according to the report.