via @KStateROW Twitter
Samantha Scott, a 23-year-old on the Kansas State University rowing team, tragically passed away on Saturday, October 27, due to a rare bacterial disease.
Scott, from Fort Morgan, Colorado, passed away due to Lemierre’s syndrome, which is an infection that begins in the throat and is poorly understood by doctors.
According to Fox, Lemierre’s syndrome is a bacterial infection that begins in the throat and spreads through the lymphatic vessels. Symptoms can include a sore throat and fever, followed by swelling of the internal jugular vein.
Speaking to The Kansas City Star, Patrick Sweeney, the K-State Women’s Rowing coach, said that Scott “was a great leader for our program and more importantly a great person.”
via The Kansas City Star:
“Samantha was a great leader for our program and more importantly a great person,” K-State rowing coach Patrick Sweeney said in a statement. “She was so well-liked by all of her teammates and had such a big impact on our program both on and off the water. We are all still in a state of shock, and we will continue to keep her family in our thoughts and prayers.”
“We are all deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Samantha,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said. “The Scott family will remain in our prayers during this time, and we will provide all of the necessary support we can for their entire family and also the members of our rowing program as they cope with this devastating loss.”
A senior architectural engineering major, Scott earned academic All-Big 12 honors last year while leading the team’s 1v8 and 1v4 boats.
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist Scott’s family with medical bills and funeral expenses. Additionally, they hope to establish a scholarship in Scott’s name.
At the time of this writing, the GoFundMe for Scott’s family has raised approximately $5000 of the $10,000 goal.