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Rockland County resident Madie Nicpon, age 20, a 2019 graduate of Suffern High School, was a junior at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Nicpon choked during a hot dog eating contest held at an off-campus home and died of her injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital on Sunday, Oct. 17, according to a report by WCVB, ABC 5 in Boston.
She was a biopsychology major and a member of the college's women’s lacrosse team.
News of the tragedy was shared with the university community in a statement signed by Tufts' president, dean of student affairs, and dean of the school of arts and sciences.
On Sunday night, approximately 3,000 students, faculty and staff gathered on campus for a candlelight vigil.
"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 university's statement said.
At Suffern High School, Nicpon was a three-sport standout in lacrosse, field hockey, and indoor track teams at Suffern High School. She earned Academic All-America honors, was a member of the National Honor Society, and graduated in the top 10 percent of her class.
She is survived by her parents Kathy and Chris, and brothers Brian and Mikey.
A GoFundMe page set up to help the Ricpon family cover medical and funeral expenses has raised around $160,000 as of Thursday morning, Oct. 21.
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