Death of former Riverdale athlete Eli Cramer 'unimaginable' to those who knew him

Eli Cramer worked hard to establish the success he had running cross country and track and field at Riverdale.

Cramer was a first-team all-area cross country runner his senior season in 2019 and finished eighth in the state in the 3,200-meter run his junior year.

On Thursday evening he died after being struck by a vehicle while running with teammates in Williamsburg, Virginia, to train for the Colonial Relays at William & Mary University.

In his college career at Milligan University, he earned NAIA All-American honors two consecutive seasons and also excelled on the track.

"He became a great athlete because he worked real hard at it," Riverdale track and field coach Rickey Field said. "When he came in as a freshman, he wasn't used to weight training. By the time he was a junior, you could see the progress he put in in track and cross country."

"He was obviously very talented athlete, but just as important, he was an incredibly intelligent student," said Riverdale cross country coach Stephen Williams. "His faith was unwavering. ... He lived it his entire life. He was humble. Even though he was clearly the leader of the team in times, he was a leader in other ways. I can’t say enough about the kid.”

The Associated Press reported that the driver of the vehicle that struck Cramer fled but crashed into a median a short time later. The driver, Jose Efrain Hernandez Mancia, 26, of Williamsburg, was taken into custody, police said.

Mancia is charged with DUI, DUI-involuntary manslaughter, one felony count of hit and run, reckless driving, DUI-maiming and DUI refusal to submit a breath/blood sample, police said. Online court records do not list an attorney who could comment on Mancia’s behalf, the AP reported.

ELI CRAMER DIES: Former Riverdale standout runner Eli Cramer dies after being struck by vehicle in Virginia

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The news sent shockwaves not only through his college town of Elizabethton and hometown of Murfreesboro, but also nationwide. Numerous national media outlets reported on the tragedy, including TMZ and "The Today Show."

Milligan University said in a release: "The past 24 hours have been unimaginable for our campus and have left a hole in our community. Eli Cramer was our friend, classmate and teammate. Above all, Cramer was a stranger to no one.”

Social media was flooded with condolences and tributes to the 20-year-old Cramer.

"We are absolutely heartbroken over this tragic loss," was posted on the Central Magnet Cross Country Twitter page.

Several athletic teams at Riverdale shared the same sentiment and his classmate, former Lady Warriors basketball standout and current Mississippi State player Alasia Hayes tweeted, "This honestly breaks my heart Eli you were one of the sweetest most kindhearted person ever. You brought nothing but JOY unto this world. Rest In Peace your bright smile will be missed."

Cramer was the third runner on the Milligan University cross country team that captured the 2021 NAIA national championship. In track and field, he was a four-time national qualifier, most recently finishing 10th in the 5K at the NAIA Indoor National Championships.

"He was a super kid and a super athletic young man," Field said. "He made a commitment to excel and it showed in his work ethic, not only on the track and cross country, but in the classroom as well."

Chase McGlamery, Milligan University student government president, wrote a tribute on the school's website titled, "Mourning the Loss of Eli Cramer."

In it he wrote, "Words cannot adequately describe the sorrow and heartbreak that is flowing rampantly across our campus today. The next few days and coming weeks will bring a great deal of emotion and heartache for Cramer’s teammates, friends, family and our entire community.

"Like many of you, I shared classes and countless laughs with him. He was the type of person that always brightened your day. Cramer was a man who knew when to put his head down and work or when to steal the room with a sarcastic comment. Cramer was one of the best, but he never looked down on anyone. He saw people for people and loved them for who they were."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Former Riverdale, Milligan star Eli Cramer remembered as hard worker