College Soccer Player Drowns in State Park

A weekend outing at a state park turned tragic for a women's soccer player from the University of Cincinnati. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says that witnesses last saw Allyson Sidloski, 21, on Saturday afternoon hanging from a boat's swim platform at East Fork State Park before she suddenly vanished into the water, per CNN and NBC News. The department says the college student wasn't wearing a life jacket, and in Sunday's early morning hours, search crews found her body. "I am absolutely crushed for the Sidloski Family, our soccer team and the University," Neil Stafford, the university's head coach for women's soccer, says in a release, with Director of Athletics John Cunningham adding, "Our Bearcats family has suffered an extreme loss."

Sidloski had recently finished her sophomore season with the Bearcats, though she'd been sidelined from playing this spring due to an injury. Sidloski hailed from a soccer family—her dad and sister Katie had also played soccer at the collegiate level—and played four years on the Strongsville High School team in Ohio, making the All-Greater Cleveland Conference three times. She made her debut for UC's team against East Carolina in 2019 and took to the field in the college's American Athletic Conference Tournament opener against Southern Methodist University. In addition to her prowess on the pitch, Sidloski was also a stellar student, earning "TopCat" distinction at the university for achieving a 4.0 GPA during multiple semesters. Sidloski is survived by her parents, sister Katie, and another sister, Nicole. (More University of Cincinnati stories.)