The Tellico Plains track athlete's father was killed in an accident while competing in their final race

TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tellico Plains community is mourning this week and remembering a star athlete and high school senior who died in a car accident over the weekend.

Darrah Wiseman is considered a cross country champion and an inspiration to those around her. WVLT News spoke with her father, Chris Wiseman.

Previous coverage: Tellico Plains High School cross-country star dies in car accident

“She was beautiful in every way – she was always smiling,” he said. “Always making you a better person.”

It's a feeling shared throughout the community. Take, for example, Maryland Parker, the mayor of Tellico Plains.

“There are no words to express what the city is going through and what the family is experiencing right now,” Parker said. “She was an inspiration to all of our runners.”

Darrah won state titles in two competitions three years in a row. This year, her senior year of high school, she would have applied for that four-year streak.

Brent Smith, the development program director for Knoxville Youth Athletics, knew her as an athlete. He said she was a role model for her colleagues and had a bright future ahead of her.

“In practice, she was a fun friend or a fun athlete figure to these other athletes and the younger girls and boys on the team,” Smith said. “Just a really happy person.”

Just last week, Darrah qualified for the state finals in cross country. While it might have been her last year competing for Tellico Plains High School, it also would have been the next big step for her.

“She was a track and field champion, but also a great student – ​​one of the top students at Tellico Plains High School,” her father said. “She was scheduled to attend Tennessee Tech next year, where she planned to run track and field with the Golden Eagles.”

However, her legacy will not fall short of her high school career. The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, better known as TSSAA and the region's governing body for high school sports, has granted Chris Wiseman permission to don his daughter's bib number and take her place at the state meet.

“I will finish their race for them,” he said. “She meant the world to Melissa – her mother – and Malerie – her sister – and me.”

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