As a teammate fights to recover from serious injuries, the Saint Louis University track and field team rallies to celebrate her efforts and show its support.

On Dec. 31, 2007, sophomore Brigette Schutzman, was involved in a car accident that left her in a coma for six weeks. She is now recovering at home in Carmel, Ind.

“It definitely had a big impact on the whole team,” said junior Matt Alexander, teammate and one of the event’s co-coordinators. “It was a shock because [one thinks] of Brigette and she just seems invincible, like nothing could ever touch her, and then something did.”

Several track and field members worked together in creating an event to honor Schutzman’s effort. On Monday, April 28, teammates and supporters from across St. Louis will gather at SLU High School for the “Brigette Schutzman Festival of Miles.” The team worked with Big River Running Company to bring some of the top runners in the country to the event.

The main feature of the event is the Men’s Elite Mile, a prestigious competition in which world-class athletes will attempt to beat a time of four minutes-one of the most impressive achievements in track and field, senior teammate Tim Hamilton said.

“[Schutzman]’s race was the mile, and this is the perfect way to pay tribute to her,” Hamilton said. “Everyone on the team thought it would be the best way to show support.”

A pasta dinner arranged by the team will follow the races. All proceeds from both events will help the family pay for the medical expenses that have accumulated over the past two months.

Hamilton said that Schutzman recovered in about eight weeks what it takes most people eight months to do, and that Schutzman and her parents might attend the event depending on her rehabilitation schedule.

“[Schutzman] is tough,” Hamilton said. “She had a 1 percent survival rate in the hospital, and now she is talking and walking around … She’s tough, and she just never gave up.”