Sidloski, a soccer player and an Ohio native, died on Saturday after drowning in a lake in East Fork State Park. According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Sidloski was hanging onto the swimming platform of a boat when she sunk into the water and disappeared.
WJW-TV reported that her body was recovered around 1 a.m. on Sunday, and she was not wearing a life jacket, according to the report.
The GoFundMe page, started by Ally’s mother, Tracie Sidloski, has gained hundreds of donations in the last 18 hours, totaling $55k more than its $5,000 goal.
The donations will cover funeral and memorial expenses, but the fundraiser description also shared that the family wishes to “help her legacy live on by creating scholarships in her name.”
“There’s no words for dealing with a tragedy on this scale,” University of Cincinnati Women’s Soccer Head Coach Neil Stafford said in a statement. “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.”
Sidloski’s academic and soccer achievements made her stand out as a sophomore at the University of Cincinnati. She was named a TopCat scholar multiple semesters for earning a 4.0 GPA, and she had received Academic All-AAC honors one season.
“Our Bearcats family has suffered an extreme loss,” Director of Athletics John Cunningham said in a statement released by the university. “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.”
The NCAA tweeted its condolences as well: “We join Cincinnati in mourning the loss of Ally Sidloski. Our condolences to her family, friends and teammates.”
The trending hashtag, #weplayfor3, commemorates Sidloski’s jersey number and has allowed friends and family to express their support and love for Ally and her family, she is survived by her mother and father, and two sisters.
The fundraiser page quoted Ally herself: “Life is about the people who come together to support you and love you through it all.”
University of Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham told Newsweek, “We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support of the Sidloski family, our soccer team and the Bearcats Nation from people all over the world. It shows the impact Ally made on so many and the strength of the Bearcats and soccer communities. We have started to engage our soccer student-athletes and coaches on the best ways to honor Ally’s memory and contributions.”
