Former State Champion Markie Voyles Passes Away in Car Accident

October 26, 2008 11:39 AM

 White County High School distance running star was the victim of a single-vehicle car accident Saturday night in Sparta, Tennessee, the Sparta Expositor reports.  The 17-year old was the only passenger of a 1995 Nissan pick-up truck which was driven by an 18-year old male, Travis Young.

Voyles, whose father is the assistant track coach at White County, has been a force to be reckoned with since she moved to Tennessee from California in time for the 2006 cross country season. She is the possessor of impressive personal records ranging from a 2:17 800m to an 18:50 5k cross country race.  In 2007, she was a double-state champion on the track, winning both the A/AA 1600m and the A/AA 3200m while representing Macon County High School.  She finished tenth overall at the 2007 AAA State Cross Country Championship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Dear Friends:
 
It is with great sorrow and a heavy heart that we are writing this. Our daughter, Markie, died last night as a result of injuries sustained in an auto accident. She was just 17 years old and enjoying her senior year of high school. She took the 4AAA region title on Thursday and was looking forward to competing at the state meet next Saturday. She loved running and all of the friends she had made over the years through the sport. We just wanted to thank all of you who knew and loved Markie as much as we did. We were truly blessed to have her for the time that we did, although so brief. She thought the world of you all and is in heaven watching over all of us until we meet again.   
 
With all our love,
Mark, Merritt & Morgan        

The Voyles Family 

 Tragic accident takes WCHS athlete’s life

Markie Voyles continued her domination of Region 4AAA girls’ cross country Thursday when she breezed across the finish line almost a minute faster than her closest competition. 

Little did anyone who was in attendance realize they were watching the White County High School runner compete in her final race.

Just over 48 hours after the WCHS senior captured her third straight Region 4 title, her life ended tragically in an automobile accident Saturday night on Bunker Hill Road.  (See front page for details of the accident.)

 

 

Services for Markie Voyles have been scheduled as follows:

Wednesday 10-29-08 - Visitation/Viewing 4:00-8:00pm 
Central Church of Christ 
45 N. Main Street
Sparta, TN 38583

Thursday 10-30-08 - Funeral Services 3:00pm
Central Church of Christ
W/burial to follow at Church of Christ Corinth 


In lieu of flowers we have set up a 
'Markie Voyles Athletic Scholarship' fund.

Bank of America
269 W. Bockman Way
Sparta, TN 38583

ATTN: Vickie Brady 

 

 

White Co. cross country champion killed

Region 4-AAA cross country champion Markie Voyles, a White County senior, was killed Friday night in a one-car accident in White County.

Voyles, 17, was the passenger in a pickup truck driven by Travis B. Young, 18, that struck a tree after traveling off of Bunker Hill Road in Sparta, according to a police report. The report stated that neither was wearing a seat belt and alcohol could have been a contributing factor. 

Visitation is Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. and funeral services are Thursday at 3 p.m., both at Central Church of Christ, 45 N. Main Street, Sparta.

Voyles, a two-time Tennessean All-Midstate first-team member, won the Region 4-AAA cross country meet in 20:25 on Thursday to qualify for her third girls cross country state meet. Voyles and her family moved to White County from California prior to her sophomore year.

Click here for complete article 

 

 Sonnendeldt wins state for a friend

By Mike Blackerby
Originally published 08:41 p.m., November 1, 2008
Updated 08:41 p.m., November 1, 2008

NASHVILLE — West High School’s Matt Sonnenfeldt ran with a heavy heart, but was as light on his feet as ever Saturday at the state cross country meet.

Sonnenfeldt dedicated the state Class AAA championship race to Markie Voyles, a close friend who ran cross country for White County who died in a single-car accident nine days ago.

“The whole race I was thinking about her,” said an emotional Sonnenfeldt, who posted a winning 5k time of 15 minutes, 42 seconds on the Percy Warner Park Steeplechase course.

“I was racing in her memory – I knew she would want me to go out and race well, no matter what.”

And Voyles, who was the Region 4-AAA champion, would have indeed been proud.

Link to Complete Story

 

 School holds memorial at track for Voyles

 

 BY TAMMY WILHITE

Sports editor
pistol@myspartanews.com
Published: Friday, October 31, 2008 3:18 AM CDT
    The death of WCHS star athlete, Markie Voyles, has hit school hard again.  Jut a little over a year removed from an accident that took the life of Jeff Griffin and left Jackson Butcher in a coma for several weeks, the students are again having to come to terms with how to deal with grief.

    That is hard to do for anyone, much less high school students who have undergone such tragic accidents in two consecutive Octobers. 

    Voyles was remembered Tuesday in a memorial ceremony at a place that typified Voyles.  The ceremony was held on the school’s track.  The Voyles family was in attendance at the ceremony and Markie’s father, Mark, even spoke about his daughter to those in attendance.  Other speakers included three of Voyles’ coaches.  Those were Dave Bruce and Stephanie Naaktgeboren, who were her track and cross country coaches, as well as softball coach, Rebecca Beaty. Three teammates also spoke.  Chelsea Holland and Crystal Holland, softball teammates, and Casey Bales, a running teammate, all took to the podium and provided some personal insight into Markie Voyles. 

    Following the ceremony, the entire crowd walked a lap around the track in memory of the fallen star, who in two years, logged many a mile around that track. 

    Voyles was scheduled to compete in the state cross country meet this weekend after winning the region last week.  Several runners, including the entire Cumberland County cross country team, plan to memorialize Voyles this weekend when they run by wearing maroon and gray ribbons.  Since moving to Tennessee, the senior runner, who had several scholarship offers on the table at the time of her death, has appeared in every cross country and track state meet.