Matt Kredich’s Son, Ben Kredich, Struck and Killed by Impaired Driver Near UT Campus

Tennessee Swimming and Diving issued a statement Tuesday afternoon that Ben Kredich, the 24-year-old son of Tennessee Director of Swimming & Diving Matt Kredich, was struck and killed by an impaired driver on Monday. According to the release, Kredich was walking near Tennessee’s campus when he was struck by an impaired motorist.

The incident occurred just after 4 p.m. on Monday evening. According to a report from a local Knoxville news outlet, the driver was traveling east on Kingston Pike near Thimbleberry Road when the car ran off the road onto the sidewalk and struck Kredich. The car then struck a pole before continuing to go eastbound into the westbound lanes of Kingston Pike. Kredich was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver, 44-year-old Tennessee native Shannon Walker, has been charged with vehicular homicide and DUI, along with other charges. The investigation is ongoing. According to the WATE report, officers searched Walker’s car and found various narcotics, including what is suspected to be heroin.

Kredich used to ride the #10 bus route down Kingston Pike, but almost exactly a year ago, that route was discontinued due to a worker shortage, a move which was called temporary at the time. Kredich advocated with city officials for the route to continue, saying that he didn’t feel safe walking that stretch of Kingston Pike. That was the same route he was walking along when he was hit by a car.

The press release put out by Tennessee Swimming and Diving included quotes from the program, as well as Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White. Tennessee Swimming and Diving’s statement said in part “We offer our prayers, support and presence to lift up the Kredich family amidst our collective sorrow and grief.”

Here is full statement from Tennessee Swimming & Diving:

“Our Tennessee swimming & diving family is heartbroken following the tragic loss of Matt and Kim’s son, Ben. We offer our prayers, support and presence to lift up the Kredich family amidst our collective sorrow and grief. We know the entire University of Tennessee community joins us in mourning and memorializing a beautiful soul who touched many, many lives and will never be forgotten.” – Statement from Tennessee Swimming & Diving

“Our hearts ache as an athletics department and are filled with sorrow in regards to the tragic and senseless death of Ben Kredich,” White began his statement. “May God rest Ben’s beautiful soul.”

Advocacy Beyond Swimming

After Ben’s swimming career ended in 2017, he became an active advocate for people with disabilities in the Knoxville community. He was a member of the FUTURES program at Tennessee, which gave students the opportunity to study there, participate in extracurricular activities, but not live on campus. He and his family advocated for SB 0516, also known as “Ben’s Bill,” to give students in similar programs statewide access to on campus housing. That bill would eventually pass in 2019.

In addition to his advocacy for people with disabilities, Ben had raised safety concerns about the suspension of the Knoxville bus route. Kredich was an avid user of the bus route, which was suspended on August 29, 2022 due to worker shortages.

University of Virginia associate head coach Tyler Fenwick posted a lengthy message on Instagram detailing his memories of Ben Kredich and expressing his sorrow for the Kredich family. Fenwick has known the Kredich family for 16 years, dating back to when he coached at Tennessee from 2007-2009.