College athlete dies after choking during hot dog eating contest, Massachusetts cops say
A Massachusetts university is mourning the death of one of its lacrosse players, who authorities say died after an accident during a charity eating contest.
Madie Nicpon, a 20-year-old student-athlete at Tufts University, choked Saturday while she was competing in a hot dog eating contest off-campus, according to The Journal News. First responders performed “extensive life-saving procedures,” but she died at a Boston hospital the following day, The Journal News reported.
The contest was held as part of a breast cancer awareness fundraiser and was attended by many student-athletes at Tufts, according to WCVB.
Known by her teammates as “Scooter,” Nicpon was a junior majoring in biopsychology. Her hobbies included playing the kazoo, watching TV, bounding and water sliding, according to her biography on the lacrosse team’s website.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The Tufts Community Union Senate described Nicpon as “member of so many groups, teams and clubs at Tufts and will be dearly missed.”
Around 3,000 Tufts students, faculty and staff gathered earlier this week for a candlelight vigil at the lacrosse field, university representatives said.
“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 said in a statement.
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