College soccer standout mourned after drowning accident at Ohio park
CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio (WJW) – A sophomore soccer player at the University of Cincinnati is being remembered as a “phenomenal human being” by those who knew her after the 21-year-old Strongsville, Ohio native died in what appears to have been a tragic accident over the weekend.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reports Ally Sidloski died Saturday when she drowned at East Fork State Park, about 25 miles east of Cincinnati.
According to ODNR, she was hanging onto the swim platform of a boat and disappeared into the water.
Her body was recovered around 1 a.m. on Sunday.
She was not wearing a life jacket.
Sidloski has recently completed her sophomore season at the University of Cincinnati.
She was named a TopCat scholar in multiple semesters for achieving a 4.0 GPA.
Soccer Head Coach Neil Stafford released a statement Sunday night calling Sidloski a “phenomenal human being.”
“I am absolutely crushed for the Sidloski Family, our soccer team and the University,” Stafford said. “There’s no words for dealing with a tragedy on this scale. Ally was such a pillar of everything that’s right about our program. A great student, gritty and resilient player and a phenomenal human being – this is an immeasurable and unspeakable loss. Our hearts go out to her family and friends and we will lift them up with our fond memories of Ally.”
“Our Bearcats family has suffered an extreme loss,” Athletic Director John Cunningham said. “We send all our prayers, love and support to the Sidloski family and will do everything we can to support them and our student-athletes as we all process and work through this tragedy. Please respect the privacy of the Sidloski’s and members of our soccer team as they grieve the loss of their daughter, sister, teammate and friend.”
Sidloski was also a four-year member of the Strongsville High School soccer team and a three-time All-Greater Cleveland Conference selection.
She is survived by her parents and two sisters.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The University of Cincinnati says arrangements will be shared once they become available.