SWOSU Basketball Player Killed in Traffic Accident

September 6, 2005

Weatherford, OK - A member of the Southwestern Oklahoma State University women’s basketball team was killed in a one-car accident on a rural Oklahoma highway over the Labor Day Holiday.

Kayla Watson, 21, died Sunday after being ejected from the cab of the pickup truck she was riding in. Watson was a passenger in a truck driven by Thomas Wilson, 17, of Atoka. The couple were traveling westbound on Highway 3 near Tupelo when the accident occurred.

According to a report from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the pickup ran off the road and then rolled two times after its driver overcorrected.

A 2003 graduate of Tushka High School, Watson played two years at SWOSU. A starter in all 28 games last season, Watson averaged 8.9 points and 3.9 rebounds a game.

A funeral service for Watson will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Atoka High School’s Kelly Fieldhouse. Members of the SWOSU basketball team, and coach Shelly Pond, will be serving as honorary casketbearers.

Watson is survived by her parents Ronnie and Annette Watson, and brothers Matthew and James Watson, all of Caney; and sister Kari Jo Watson of Ft. Worth, Texas.