Tufts lacrosse player Madie Nicpon, 20, dies after accident at hot dog eating contest

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the location of Suffern (New York) High School.

A 20-year-old Tufts lacrosse player died Sunday after falling unconscious at a charity fundraiser.

According to authorities, Madelyn "Madie" Nicpon was participating with other students in a hot dog eating contest and choked.

In a statement, Tufts described Nicpon as being in an accident Saturday afternoon at a "private, rental property" in the town of Somerville, Massachusetts.

Tufts said first responders performed "extensive life-saving procedures" and Nicpon was initially taken to Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge before being transferred to Massachusetts General in Boston, where she died Sunday afternoon.

Nicpon's death has triggered an outpouring of emotion at Tufts and well beyond.

About 3,000 students, faculty and staffers from the roughly 6,000-student university attended a vigil Sunday night to honor Nicpon, nicknamed "Scooter" on her team. Candles were placed around Nicpon's No. 2 jerseys.

A lengthy post on the team's Instagram account features a photo of Nicpon running between two lines of her teammates, clearly shouting something in the pregame ritual.

Nicpon, a defender in lacrosse, studied biopsychology. She'd gotten into one game as a freshman and three last spring as a sophomore on a team that finished 10-1.

The post, which describes her team as "beyond heartbroken," and Nicpon as a "true friend and teammate," reads in part, "She truly valued her relationships with her teammates and coaches. Her reach was far beyond our team — she was a true connector on campus and touched every single person she met."

Coach Courtney Shute could not be reached for comment.

Nicpon participated in lacrosse, field hockey and indoor track and field in high school. She was president of Suffern (New York) High School's Class of 2019 and co-president of its National Honor Society — a star in the classroom, a Rockland Scholar-Athlete, whose grade-point average exceeded 4.0 and who left for Tufts University with plans to go into medicine.

Rockland Scholar-Athlete Madie Nicpon, a captain on the Suffern varsity field hockey team, at the high school Sept. 13, 2018. Nicpon, a senior, is also on the lacrosse and track teams.
Rockland Scholar-Athlete Madie Nicpon, a captain on the Suffern varsity field hockey team, at the high school Sept. 13, 2018. Nicpon, a senior, is also on the lacrosse and track teams.

Suffern girls lacrosse coach John Callanan recalled Nicpon as "a sweetheart, just a really special kid."

This was perhaps as much about an unrelenting positive, loving-life attitude as the solid playing skills that landed her on a Division III college team.

"She was just a bundle of energy and a ray of sunshine, always," Callanan recalled Tuesday. "She had a great upbeat personality and an infectious smile. ... She was a ton of fun."

On a memorial page, former Suffern lacrosse teammate Kimberly Mahecha wrote, "She was kind and caring (and) lit up every room and field she stepped on. She easily became everyone's friend and made an impact on everyone she met. She was the biggest cheerleader for all of her teammates and the biggest hype man during good and bad games."

And Nicpon, the kazoo player who was focused on a career in medicine but joked on her Tufts roster profile page that her dream job was "Love Island UK contestant," always seemed to be laughing.

Rockland Scholar-Athlete Madie Nicpon, a captain on the Suffern varsity field hockey team, at the high school Sept. 13, 2018. Nicpon, a senior, is also on the lacrosse and track teams.
Rockland Scholar-Athlete Madie Nicpon, a captain on the Suffern varsity field hockey team, at the high school Sept. 13, 2018. Nicpon, a senior, is also on the lacrosse and track teams.

“When you talk to Madie, you can see the pure love she has for not only self-success but for ensuring the success and well-being of those around her,” said Gaby Somma, her former field hockey coach.

The Tufts lacrosse team's Instagram post, which mentions Nicpon's happy pregame dance ritual, reads, "She has and will continue to inspire us every day. We should all strive to live life a little more like Scooter did — a person that valued love, loyalty, compassion and friendship."

"We love you, Scooter. Keep dancing from above," it concludes.

Nancy Haggerty covers cross-country, track & field, field hockey, skiing, ice hockey, girls lacrosse and other sporting events for The Journal News/lohud. Follow her on Twitter at both @HaggertyNancy and at @LoHudHockey.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tufts lacrosse player Madie Nicpon dies after hot dog contest accident

Advertisement