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Issue date: 12/13/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Thom Hunt Freshman Devan Caddell competed for the Mesa cross country team before he passed away. [Click to enlarge]

On Nov. 6, 18-year-old Mesa cross country runner Devan Caddell of Jamul was late for school. He pulled on his new running shoes that his parents had bought for him the day before, jumped into his 2001 Acura Integra, and sped down State Route 94.

"I can just imagine what was going on in his head," said Jay Caddell, Devan's father. "He was thinking, 'I need to get there so I can run with these shoes.' He was so excited about those shoes."

Caddell never had a chance to run in them. As he came around a turn along the freeway, he changed lanes rapidly and lost control of his car. He drove through a chain link fence on the side of the freeway, crashed his car into a tree in a La Mesa backyard, and was thrown from the car. He died at the scene.

"It just shows how quick [death] is," said Jay Caddell, "And how it can take the best kids."

Caddell was a freshman Mechanical Engineering major at Mesa and had just completed his first season as a runner on the men's cross country team.

"Devan was very dedicated to what he did," said Thom Hunt, head coach of the men's cross country team. "He was very competitive and wanted to excel. I think that is what defined him as an athlete. He wanted to be on a team that was very competitive. He sought us out, and that's because he wanted to be with teammates who would push him."

Lance Blaskowski, 26, who is also on the cross country team, remembers Caddell as a young athlete who loved hanging out with his teammates, traveling with the team to events, and maintaining his car.

"Devan liked everybody. He had a good time," said Blaskowski. "He really liked running; that's for sure."

Caddell was an honors student and won a Pop Warner national award for scholastic grades and community service. He was very active in his church, participating in the Rock Church Foster Youth Program. He played with the youths on the weekend and taught them how to ride bikes. He also volunteered at a local nursing home, sitting for hours at the bedsides of residents and playing cards with them.

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