Basketball coach and Lions alumna Serna dies in plane crash

A&M-Commerce alumna Miranda Serna was killed in a plane crash 45 miles west of Little Rock, Ark., yesterday afternoon.

"The university community is deeply saddened over the sudden passing of Miranda Serna, an alumna and outstanding member of her community," A&M-Commerce President Dr. Dan Jones said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time."

Serna was serving as an assistant coach in the women's basketball program at Oklahoma State University. Cowgirls' Head Coach Kurt Budke, pilot and former Oklahoma state senator Olin Bransetter  and his wife also died when their single-engine plane went down in steep terrain in the Winona Wildlife Management Area. Serna and Budke were returning from a recruiting trip.

The A&M-Commerce Athletic Department posted on Twitter: "Thoughts go out to the Oklahoma State women's basketball team and the family of Miranda Serna, an A&M-Commerce graduate."

Serna, who received her bachelor's degree in mathematics from A&M-Commerce in 1998 after completing her collegiate basketball career at the University of Houston, was currently serving as the recruiting coordinator for Oklahoma State. She began playing with Central Arizona College in 1993 before transferring to Trinity Valley Community College and helping them to an NJCAA national title in 1996, according to her Oklahoma State bio page.

She then returned to Trinity Valley Community College at the end of 1997 to coach under Budke and help the team along to another national title in 1999. She also had assistant coaching and recruiting stints with Long Beach State, Chicago State and Fresno State.

Serna is a native of Guadalupita, N.M, where her family currently resides.