MANHATTAN — Radiant, positive, bubbly, and caring toward all around her: these are just a few of many words that people think of when describing Delaney Doherty, the beloved Manhattan teen and student athlete tragically killed in a head-on crash in August 2023.
“She didn’t have bad days; she always had a smile on her face,” Mark Doherty, Delaney’s father, said. “She was the kind of kid that—if you were the new kid at school, she would invite you to the basketball game or ask you to come sit with us at the lunch table.”
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Delaney was 17 years old, getting ready to lead her high school as class president, play libero on the volleyball team, all while prepping for softball in the spring.
On Aug. 3, 2023, the Doherty family received a call that no parent should have to experience.
“I got a call from the Manhattan Police Department, and I was asked if I had a daughter named Delaney and did she have blonde hair. So you can imagine where your heart and mind goes when you get a call like that,” Doherty said.
Delaney was killed on West Dry Creek Road when she was hit head-on by a driver who allegedly crossed the center line while driving under the influence.
Since that day, Mark Doherty, his family, and the greater Manhattan community have rallied together to ensure that Delaney’s legacy, positivity, and tenacity are remembered. The Manhattan High School diamond is now the Delaney Doherty Diamond — and right next door is a newly constructed batting cage facility.
Members of the community donated time, resources, and money for the batting cages—and soon there will be a shadow box memorial for Delaney.
"Everywhere I go, I see her anyways, but I see her extra in a lot of this,” Mark Doherty said through tears.
WATCH PREVIOUS: Manhattan honors the life and memory of Delaney Doherty
Delaney’s impact is not limited to her time as an athlete, but also to her strong academic achievement. The Delaney Doherty Memorial Scholarship awarded six scholarships to Manhattan High School students in 2024 — the year that Delaney was set to graduate.
Today, the scholarship has expanded to Manhattan Christian School, with the hope that it will continue to grow to other schools.
“Nothing will bring her back. I'm so broken and shattered that she's not with me anymore. But I’m so proud of who she was and what she represented, and I’m so proud to be her dad,” Mark Doherty said.
