Connie Blount, of Park City, died early Sunday after a truck struck her while she was crossing the street near the University of Kentucky, where she was a freshman.

The truck never stopped, said Lexington police Lt. James Lombardi. Blount, 18, died at the University of Kentucky Trauma Center. Police were still looking Monday for the Chevrolet extended cab pickup that was spotted leaving the scene.

Blount moved to Kentucky with her two horses, Sam I Am and Luke, to study equine science and join the university equestrian team, said Jordan Taylor, a close friend and classmate from Park City High School.

In Utah, Blount was an avid English hunter competitor, said Monica Black, who organizes junior riders for the Utah Hunter Jumper Association.

"She'd rather be riding than doing anything else," Black said.

As a rider, Blount mastered a balance between athleticism and grace, said Debbie Smith, Blount's trainer at the Creamayre Brook Farm in Heber.

"She was a very elegant, very classical English equitation rider," Smith said. "She was one of the good ones."

One of Blount's horses, Sam I Am, is a grandson of Secretariat, Smith noted.

Out of the saddle, Blount was outgoing, cheerful and close to her family, friends said.

"She was really dedicated to everyone and everything in her life," Taylor said. "Even through the hard times of adolescence, she was always loyal."

Heleena Sideris, who graduated from high school with Blount in 2007, described Blount as "a girl that everybody knew - super energetic, always smiling,"

Blount's sister gave birth to a daughter just hours after Blount died Sunday, Taylor said.