‘Role model' college athlete collapses and dies at half-marathon, PA officials say
Thiel College said Toby Atwood was running the Presque Isle Half Marathon in Erie on July 20 when she collapsed for unknown reasons.
She was taken to a hospital, where she died, Erie News Now reported. Race organizers confirmed the runner's death in a July 22 post on Facebook.
Those close to her said running half marathons were among her favorite favorite activities.
Doctors revealed to Atwood's family that she had a heart arrhythmia, according to the Leader Times.
Atwood was an incoming senior at Thiel College, where she was a member of the school's tennis team. She was named co-captain during the 2024 season, which she participated in as the program's No. 1 singles player.
The program said in a Facebook post it would be playing the upcoming season 'with heavy hearts, but with her love to carry us through.'
The 21-year-old from from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, was also a 4.0 student and the president of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority on her campus.
'Toby truly left her mark while she was with us,' her sorority said. 'She was seen as a leader, role model and mentor. She was strong, resilient, and never afraid to speak her mind.'
According to a GoFundMe, Atwood's presence 'could light up an entire room.' She was known for her positivity and 'genuine enthusiasm for life.'
'Toby excelled in everything she loved — wrestling, tennis, running — and poured her heart into all of it,' loved ones said. 'It is both a sorrowful and heartwarming truth that she passed away doing something she was so passionate about. She was one of the most hardworking, resilient, and kind individuals one could ever meet.'
Thiel College is in Greenville, about an 80-mile drive northwest from Pittsburgh.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Hotshot firefighter critically injured in Northern California blaze faces ‘long road,' family says
A hotshot firefighter who was severely injured by a falling tree while battling the nearly three-week-old Orleans Complex fire in Northern California faces 'a long road ahead — emotionally, physically, and financially,' as he recovers in a hospital, his family said. Renzo Reginato, a member of the Cleveland National Forest El Coriso hotshot team, was one of three firefighters injured in the July 18 incident in Siskiyou County, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Reginato, whose injuries were the most serious, was airlifted to Mercy Medical Center in Redding and underwent emergency orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures for a broken tibia and fibula and a traumatic spinal injury, according to an account posted on GoFundMe by his family. On Thursday, the family posted a photograph of Reginato smiling and giving a thumbs up in his hospital bed while wearing an El Coriso Hotshots ballcap. Reginato was fighting the Butler fire, the larger of two Northern California fires comprising the so-called Orleans Complex in rural Siskiyou and Del Norte counties. The Orleans Complex, which started amid lightning storms in early July, had grown to 22,362 acres and was just 22% contained Sunday, the incident command team overseeing the fire response said in a briefing Sunday morning. Firefighters faced difficult conditions Sunday as dry thunderstorms brought increased wind and threatened lightening strikes that could ignite new fires, according to the briefing. At least eight firefighters have been injured while battling the Orleans Complex and the Green fire in Northern California forests that are burning amid extreme heat in steep, bone-dry terrain. A minor injury was reported Saturday. One firefighter sustained a blunt force trauma wound July 12 while working the fire line on the Green fire in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, according to Deanna Younger, a spokesperson for California Interagency Management Team 10. That lightning-sparked fire had burned 19,002 acres and was 97% contained as of Sunday, according to the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Another firefighter suffered a heat-related injury the next day, she said. Both were treated at a hospital and released. Two firefighters working on the Orleans Complex were stricken with heat illness amid temperatures that topped 110 degrees, Paul Meznarich, a spokesperson for the multiagency team coordinating the response to those fires, reported on July 14. Nathan Judy, a spokesman for the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California, said he could not disclose firefighter names but confirmed that one firefighter hit by a falling tree while fighting the Orleans Complex on July 18 was airlifted to a hospital in Redding. One of the other two firefighters hit by the tree also was transferred, evaluated and then released, Judy said. The third was evaluated and released at the scene. According to the GoFundMe site for Reginato, he remained hospitalized in Redding pending a transfer to Craig Hospital in Denver, a nationally recognized neuro-rehabilitation center. The site said he 'faces a long and difficult road to recovery, supported closely by his fiancée and family.' 'Renzo has dedicated himself to the grueling and selfless work of firefighting,' it said. 'He trained, sacrificed, and showed up every day to protect lives and communities. Now he needs our support.' Though his medical treatment will be covered, the message said the family faces long-term expenses for travel, lodging, meals, and resources to help Reginato 'regain independence and adjust to a new way of life.' A fellow member of the elite El Cariso hotshots was quoted on the GoFundMe recalling the incident. 'We were cutting line and without warning, I heard someone yell, 'TREE!' and before I could react, I was hit in the back and rolled 5 to 10 feet downhill,' he wrote. As of Sunday, 1,924 firefighters were battling the Orleans Complex, which comprises the Butler fire and the much smaller Red fire. The Butler fire was first reported amid a lightning storm July 3, and has burned more than 22,000 acres in the Six Rivers and Klamath national forests. The Red fire, which started July 6, was more than 90% contained and had burned 116 acres in the Siskiyou Wilderness in Del Norte County.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Fans Turn to Crowdfunding as Manchester United Eye Alexander Isak
Desperate Times at Old Trafford as Fans Launch Isak GoFundMe Drive Unusual Measures in a Modern Football Landscape There are signs of desperation and defiance from Manchester United's fanbase this summer. With the club entangled in financial turbulence and glaring gaps in attack, supporters have taken the remarkable step of launching a GoFundMe campaign titled 'Sign Isak for Manchester United' to raise £150million in a bid to lure Swedish striker Alexander Isak from Newcastle United. This extraordinary crowdfunding initiative, highlighted by Isak to Manchester United GoFundMe Page, came after reports that Isak is open to a move away, having missed Newcastle's pre-season fixtures at Celtic and on their Asian tour. 'United need a striker. We need hope. So, let's do what the Glazers won't… and raise £150 million to bring Alexander Isak to Old Trafford,' said Isaac MUFC, the fan behind the page. Isak's Future Up in the Air Newcastle reportedly value the striker at £150million, and interest in the 24-year-old is intensifying. Isak has also been linked with Liverpool and Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal. His style—blistering pace, fluid movement, and composure in front of goal—would undoubtedly enhance any top-six Premier League attack. Photo: IMAGO That alone makes the humour and heartbreak behind the GoFundMe effort so powerful. United, having spent over £100million already on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, still appear short in the final third. But instead of decisive boardroom action, it's the fans attempting to complete the hat-trick. Protest or Pipe Dream? While clearly tongue-in-cheek, there's a pointed message in the initiative. '50% of Proceeds will go to Unicef UK because if we can't bring Isak to Manchester, we can still bring some good to the world. The other 50% will go towards paying back some of my student debt because United aren't the only ones in a financial crisis,' reads the campaign. This isn't about genuinely bankrolling a blockbuster transfer, but rather exposing the powerlessness many supporters feel. After Sir Jim Ratcliffe openly discussed United's financial woes and amid a raft of staff layoffs, the GoFundMe doubles as satire and sorrow. Modern Football, Unreal Demands What this bizarre but creative campaign underscores is the financial chasm between fans and the elite decision-makers. United's supporters have often been vocal against ownership, and this attempt to 'do what the Glazers won't' is emblematic of a wider frustration. Isak may never pull on the red shirt of Manchester United, but his name will now be forever linked to a movement that managed to say more about the state of a football club than any official statement ever could. Our View – EPL Index There's no doubt this GoFundMe campaign is equal parts satire and despair, but it also paints a stark picture of the disconnect between fans and club leadership. That Manchester United, one of the richest clubs in the world, could find itself the subject of a transfer whip-round feels almost too bizarre to believe. Supporters clearly crave a player like Isak. He's modern, mobile and clinical. But no amount of crowdfunding will bridge the chasm created by years of financial missteps and poor recruitment. Even if every United fan in the world donated £10, they'd still fall far short of the quoted £150million. This is a joke with teeth. It's a protest against a model where clubs are sold dreams but delivered bureaucracy and cuts. Fans are tired, and this campaign makes a bigger statement than chants or banners ever could. But let's be clear: Isak is heading elsewhere unless United act like United again.
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
12-year-old boy dies from brain-eating amoeba after swimming in South Carolina lake
A 12-year-old boy died after he contracted a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a South Carolina lake. Jaysen Carr came into contact with the deadly amoeba Naegleria fowleri at Lake Murray, a large man-made lake just outside of Columbia, his family announced Thursday. He died on died on July 18. 'Jaysen's family is grieving this unthinkable loss, but they are also grateful at the outpouring of love and support they have received from the community,' the family's attorney, Tyler Bailey, told WIS-TV in a statement. Advertisement 'The family has many questions about how and why Jaysen died and wants to do everything in their power to ensure this doesn't happen to another family.' 3 Jaysen Carr, 12, died after he became infected with a brain-eating amoeba, officials said. GoFundMe 3 Jaysen was infected while swimming in South Carolina's Lake Murray. Chris – Advertisement The South Carolina Department of Public Health emphasized Jaysen's death is not part of a wider public health emergency and stressed that while the single-cell organism is naturally occurring in most warm bodies of water, human infection is very rare, according to WIS-TV. This is the first case of Naegleria fowleri in the Palmetto State since 2016. Nationwide, there have only been 167 cases reported in the past 62 years — but only four of those survived, according to the CDC. The organism is dubbed the 'brain-eating amoeba' because it can infect the brain and destroy tissue, the agency said. Infections typically occur after swimming in a lake, river, or other fresh water during summer months when the water levels are low and temperatures are hot. Advertisement 3 Naegleria fowleri can lead to a primary amebic meningoencephalitis, which kills most people. Dr_Microbe – If water containing the amoeba goes up the nose and to the brain, it can cause an infection called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) — which typically leads to coma and death within five days, according to the CDC. Jaysen's funeral has been scheduled for Saturday. The Carr family has launched a GoFundMe to cover the unexpected costs of medical and funeral expenses. 'He was an incredible son, a devoted brother, and a true friend to everyone who knew him. His kind heart and bright spirit left a lasting impact on everyone he met,' organizers wrote on the fundraiser page.
