Cross country runner gets completely demolished by a herd of deer
Justin DeLuzio's last collegiate cross country race turned out to be one he'll always remember as the day he was blindsided and knocked to the ground by a herd of wild deer.
The Gwynedd Mercy University senior was a little more than a mile into his final NCAA Division III meet when four deer darted across the course and sent him flying into the air mid-stride.
"It lifted me off the ground," DeLuzio told Fox Sports. "I turned to my left and boom -- my feet are in the air."
The whole thing was captured on video:
ICYMI: Cross Country runner Justin DeLuzio wasn't expecting this at last weekend's NCAA Regional. He recovered and finished the race #ouchypic.twitter.com/NLfJvQaDGl
— GwyneddSports (@GwyneddSports) November 17, 2016
"There were a couple kids who came up to me like, 'Are you OK? That's such a cool story.' They were like 'I wish I got hit by a deer!'"
DeLuzio was able to get up and finish the race without major injuries. He completed the 8k in 31:16 –- which is pretty remarkable for someone who got mauled by deer.
"I would definitely say there's relatively low risk in future deer-related injuries in cross-country," DeLuzio said. "I'm just really fortunate for how it did happen. It could've been so much worse."
