Oklahoma State University women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant women's basketball coach Miranda Serna were killed along with two others Thursday night in a plane crash in Perry County, Arkansas.
A tireless worker on the court and as a recruiter, Miranda Serna begins her seventh season as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State.
Serna previously worked in the same capacity at Louisiana Tech under Cowgirl head coach Kurt Budke.
As the program's recruiting coordinator, Serna has proven to be an asset. Hitting the ground running in her first season, she helped spearhead the assembly of a nationally ranked recruiting class that has since served as the foundation for the Cowgirls' rise through college basketball's hierarchy and secure four consecutive postseason berths.
Prior to joining Budke on the Lady Techster staff, Serna served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Fresno State. While working with the Bulldogs, she also handled team travel, scouting reports, managed the program's budget and worked with the program's guards on the floor.
During her stint with FSU, the Bulldogs posted a 20-win season during the 2002-03 campaign, earned a berth in the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
The Guadalupita, N.M. native spent the 2001-02 season as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Chicago State after spending the previous two years at Long Beach State. During her time with the 49ers, the squad reached the third round of the WNIT.
As a player, Serna was named the league freshman of the year and earned honorable mention Kodak All-America honors while competing for Central Arizona College during the 1993-94 season. After transferring to Trinity Valley Community College, she helped lead the Lady Cardinals to a 32-4 record and the NJCAA national title in 1996.
Serna then completed her collegiate career at Houston where she competed for the Cougars during the 1996-97 season. She completed her bachelor's degree in mathematics at Texas A&M-Commerce in 1998. As a prep standout at Eldorado (N.M.) High School, Serna led squad to a 46-0 record and two consecutive state championships.
Serna returned to Trinity Valley Community College in 1997 after completing her playing career at the University of Houston to coach under Budke. While on staff at Trinity Valley, the Lady Cardinals won the 1999 NJCAA national championship.
Serna's family resides in Guadalupita, N.M. Her mother, Nettie Herrera, teaches Spanish, while her sister, Cassandra, is a history teacher. She has two nephews, Carlos Bernadino Muller, Jr. and Martin Cortez as well as one niece, Lovely Isabella Alamend. Her father, John Serna, resides in Ledoux, N.M.
