Three UW-Madison undergraduates who died Wednesday after the car they were in hit a tree on Midvale Boulevard were remembered as outstanding students who overcame personal obstacles, pushed boundaries and went out and did amazing things.

"We don't know what these young people could have been or done," said Lori Berquam, dean of students. "It's nothing short of horrific tragedy that's befallen our campus."

Killed were Lindsey T. Plank, 23, and Richard H. Putze, 22, both seniors majoring in chemistry, and Daniel Myers, 22, who this summer completed his requirements to graduate with a major in music performance, with piano as a specialty.

The deaths came as students are arriving for the start of the school year and, Berquam said, as the campus is still recovering from the slaying of junior Brittany Zimmermann in her West Doty Street apartment in April.

"It's a shock to many of our students and our families who are coming to campus," she said.

While the number of students killed in Wednesday's crash "certainly multiplies the sorrow and grief we feel," Berquam said, "Nothing can compare to what the families of these young people are feeling. Our hearts and prayers go out to them."

Alcohol possible factor

A police investigation indicates the car the three were traveling in was going north on South Midvale Boulevard when it hit the tree, just north of Mineral Point Road, Madison police spokesman Howard Payne said.

The crash occurred just after 1:45 a.m. and closed both roads for several hours.

Two of the three victims were wearing seat belts, but Payne did not know who wore them. Payne did not know who was driving the car but said it was driven by one of the men.

Alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash, Payne said.

Putze was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Plank and Myers were taken to UW Hospital, where both died.

Neighborhood music

Myers' father, David Myers of Madison, said he didn't feel like talking when reached by phone Wednesday.

A neighbor of the Myers family, who live on the West Side, said she knew Daniel as a piano player because his music filled the neighborhood every night.

"I was over there the other night giving them some produce from the garden," said Mary Eisele. "I mentioned to him that I love his concerts."

'Really joyous'

Plank graduated from Stoughton High School, where she was a swimmer and an award-winning investigative reporter for the student newspaper, The Norse Star. According to her page on Facebook, she also had attended UW-Stevens Point.

"She was a one of a kind," said her brother, Bob Plank, of Lodi.

"She was upbeat. She was just really joyous. She would always make jokes," said Nathan Bakken, of Stoughton, a high school friend who had often played the video game "Dance Dance Revolution" with Plank. "She was a very fun person."

Stoughton High School newspaper adviser David Wallner remembered Plank as "very creative" and "very spunky," describing her as "one of those small handful of students who go out and surprise you and do amazing things."

Department's loss

The deaths of Plank and Putze "hit a lot of people hard" in the university's chemistry department, where the two worked side-by-side in the lecture demonstration laboratory preparing chemicals and instructional materials for classes of up to 350 students, said chemistry professor John Moore.

"I think the whole department feels a tremendous loss," Moore said. "These are people that we knew as colleagues. It's really hard to realize you're not going to see them again — particularly when they're that young. It seems really unfortunate."

The two also worked closely with department lecturer-demonstrator Jim Maynard, who is Plank's uncle, Moore said.

"Jim had them working this summer on this big project to shoot videos" students can view online, Moore said.

Maynard also played a significant role as a mentor to Putze, said chemistry professor Judith Burstyn. She said Putze worked "hard to succeed in a technical major."

"I'm not sure how our demo lab will function without them," Burstyn said. "They were just extremely dedicated to what they were doing."

'We're just devastated'

The university's close-knit music department, where Myers was one of about 50 performance students, is also experiencing a deep loss.

"We're just devastated," said Jessica Johnson, assistant professor of piano and piano pedagogy, who described Myers as "just one of those light-bulb people" who infused others with his energy.

Highly creative, inquisitive and extremely intelligent, Myers was always thinking outside of the box and pushing boundaries, Johnson said.

"He really challenged us as teachers and peers," she said. "He had so much momentum behind him. He was really making huge strides in his development as a musician and a scholar."

— State Journal reporter Deborah Ziff contributed to this report.