A student at Tufts University who recently graduated from a New York high school passed away Sunday after choking during a hot dog eating contest, according to the New York Post.
Twenty-year-old Madelyn “Madie” Nicpon, who was an athlete and student leader for Suffern High School’s Class of 2019, died inside a Boston hospital the day after she became unconscious during an off-campus charity fundraiser, the outlet said Wednesday.
Thousands of fellow classmates came together Sunday evening to honor the memory of the biopsychology major and lacrosse player, according to the university.
“In the face of this painful loss, our hearts go out to Madie’s family and friends,” Tufts said in a statement on Monday:
Last night, approximately 3,000 students, faculty and staff gathered at the Gantcher Center to remember Madie and to support each other in our grief, then processed by candlelight to Bello Field, where Madie had spent many hours with her teammates and friends. The number of community members who turned out to lend support to each other, to Madie’s friends, and to her family was a testament to how many lives Madie touched during her time at Tufts.
The young woman was also reportedly class president at Suffern with a grade-point average over 4.0.
“She was a true light for the Tufts campus community who was genuinely a friend to all,” women’s lacrosse head coach Courtney Shute said, according to a post on the Tufts Jumbos Instagram page:
“Madie made time for everyone and cared deeply for people. Her personality was larger than life and brought a constant smile to those around her,” she added.
As of Thursday, a GoFundMe page created to help the family with funeral and medical expenses had raised $161,125 of its $175,000 goal.
“Services for the Rockland County native will be held in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey on Friday and Saturday,” the Post article concluded.
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