Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas, 19, dies in car crash which leaves five teammates injured

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Louise Thomas

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A teenager crowned 2024 Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas has been killed in a car crash that also left five of her teammates injured, according to authorities.

Emma Catherine Brungardt, 19, of Blue Rapids, died on Friday evening when the car she was traveling in struck trees at a Y intersection near Garden City in rural Kansas, Kansas Highway Patrol confirmed.

According to a crash report, Brungardt’s teammate Kade Homm, 18, had been driving the group of teens in a Ford Pickup truck when the vehicle crashed into a row of trees and flipped over.

Brungardt was pronounced dead at the scene.

Homm and the four other passengers – teammates Lakeddah J Downes, 18, Alaura Crockett-Armijo, 20, Kerstin S Tommer, 19, and Emma G Krase, 19 – were all taken to Citizens Medical Center in Colby for treatment for minor injuries.

Brungardt, a sophomore majoring in equine management and production at Colby Community College, had been crowned Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas earlier this year.

On her Facebook page, Brungardt shared lots of photos of horses. In her last post, days before the tragedy, she posted about selling one of them.

Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant shared a heartfelt tribute on social media: “The Miss Rodeo Kansas Pageant would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of Emma Brungardt, our beautiful Miss Teen Rodeo Kansas 2024.

“Emma was a true gem and horsewoman who embodied what it meant to be a rodeo queen, always going above and beyond what was expected of her.

“We will miss her contagious smile and one-in-a-million personality. Please keep her family and friends in your prayers as they navigate through this unimaginable loss.”

Colby Community College remembered the teenager as “a sweet soul” who competed in goat tying, breakaway and team roping.

“We are praying for all families involved. Emma was a sweet soul who picked up other people and always had a positive attitude. Her light will live on in and around the rodeo arena,” the statement read.