Oklahoma State, 10 months removed from commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the deaths of 10 men affiliated with its men's basketball program, was again struck with its "worst nightmare" Friday after learning women's coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna died in a plane crash a day earlier.

Their plane went down in Perry County, Ark., also killing the pilot -- 82-year-old former Oklahoma state Sen. Olin Branstetter -- and his wife, Paula. There were no survivors.

Oklahoma State coach Kurt Budke, 50, had opened his seventh season as the Cowgirls' coach on Sunday with a win over Rice in Stillwater. AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Budke, 50, had opened his seventh season as the Cowgirls' coach on Sunday with a 96-60 win over Rice in Stillwater.

"This is our worst nightmare. The entire OSU family is very close, very close indeed," OSU president Burns Hargis said at a news conference Friday. "To lose anyone, especially these two individuals who are incredible life forces in our family, it is worse beyond words.

"When something like this happens and, God forbid it happened again, we have to pull together as a family. We've got to try to do that," Hargis said, as he broke down in tears.

After the 2001 crash, the university required that planes used by the school's sports teams undergo safety checks before travel. Hargis said coaches were not bound by the same rules and that the school left such decisions to their discretion.

Hargis called Budke "an exemplary leader and man of character," and credited him with elevating the team in a tough program. Serna, he said, was "an up-and-coming coach and an outstanding role model" for the players. Former assistant coach Jim Littell will serve as interim head coach. The team's games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday were canceled.

The Cowboys' second-ranked college football team was upset 37-31 in double overtime at Iowa State on Friday night.

The school's women's soccer team, which has lost only once all season, went forward with its NCAA tournament game Friday. The tragedy was addressed in a team meeting beforehand, and several players stopped by to sign a banner set up in the Gallagher-Iba Arena lobby in remembrance.