Oklahoma State Cowgirls’ head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna died late Thursday night when the private, single-engine plane carrying them on a recruiting trip crashed just west of Little Rock, Ark.

Budke has been the coach at Oklahoma State all four years that Texas’ Gail Goestenkors has been the head coach for the Longhorns, and they developed a relationship through conference play and on the recruiting trail.

“Kurt was a great colleague, as was Miranda,” said Goestenkors. ”They were tireless workers and always very positive.

You spend basically the month of July out recruiting, seeing them in every single gym. It is a huge tragedy for everybody, especially for their families and loved ones.”

Goestenkors said it’s rare for her to travel on private planes.

“It’s not very often, maybe five times a year,” said Goestenkors. “We never travel on single-engine planes.”

Printed on Monday, November 21, 2011 as: Coach reflects on OK State tragedy, loss