Campus Scenery-20250708-006
By
Clinton Colmenares, MFA
July 17, 2026
Summary
A feature story in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football highlights the journey of Trinity University football offensive coordinator and alumnus Wade Lytal ’09 as he copes with the loss of his daughter, Kellyanne, in the 2025 Texas Hill Country floods. The story also remembers Trinity student Aidan Heartfield ’26, who died in the same disaster and was posthumously awarded his diploma at the University’s 2026 commencement.

Kellyanne Lytal was a first-time camper at Camp Mystic in July 2025 when fast-moving flood waters inundated the Texas Hill Country, killing more than 130 people, including Kellyanne. A feature story in Dave Campbell's Texas Football focuses on the girl's father, Wade Lytal, a 2009 Trinity University graduate and the football team's offensive coordinator. The story described Lytal's grief and how football helped him return to a routine and regain a sense of purpose. The story ran in newspapers across Texas. 

Aidan Heartfield '26, a marketing major, also died in the Guadalupe River flooding last year. "Aidan was a cherished member of our campus community. He was bright, kind, and full of promise. We mourn alongside his family, friends, classmates, and professors, and we extend our deepest condolences to all who are grieving his loss," the university said at the time. At commencement in May, his father accepted Heartfield's diploma.