19-Year-Old Lacrosse Player at UMass Amherst Dies ‘Unexpectedly’ at Parent’s Home

A Long Island lacrosse player died ‘unexpectedly’ Monday morning at his parent’s home.

Aidan Kaminska, 19, of Port Jefferson, studied at The University of UMass Amherst and majored in communications.

Kaminska played for the Minutemen men’s lacrosse team and won numerous awards.

The student athlete passed away of unknown causes, Newsday reported.

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Massachusetts Athletics Mourns Loss of Men’s Lacrosse Student-Athlete Aidan Kaminskahttps://t.co/MXXZowRLco pic.twitter.com/0jtWqWLxrn

— UMass Men's Lacrosse (@UMassMLacrosse) June 1, 2022

From Newsday:

Kaminska was a football and lacrosse star at Port Jefferson High School, where he set the Long Island record for receptions in a high school football game with 17. He was 19.

Port Jefferson superintendent Jessica Schmettan sent a letter to school district parents and staff on Tuesday that read, in part: “The District was informed of the sudden passing of one of our alumni from the Class of 2020, Aidan Kaminska. Our thoughts and prayers are with the former student’s friends, family and loved ones during this difficult time . . . I offer my deepest and most sincere condolences to the family, staff and friends who suffered this great loss.”

His cause of death was not disclosed.

Kaminska did not play his first season for the Minutemen and was redshirted, but was recognized by the Colonial Athletic Association for academic excellence. This past season, he was named to the CAA’s All-Rookie team after scoring nine goals in six games. He scored three times in a 13-9 road victory at Hofstra on April 23.

UMass Amherst stated:

Massachusetts athletics is saddened to announce the loss of Aidan Kaminska, a men’s lacrosse student-athlete who passed away on Monday, May 30. Kaminska, a communications major from Port Jefferson, N.Y., was a sophomore midfielder for the Minutemen. He was 19 years old.

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Kaminska was a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Rookie Team member in 2022. In six games, he scored nine goals, including three goals in his first-ever start in the CAA tournament semifinal match vs. Towson. He was also named to the CAA All-Tournament Team in 2022.

The Massachusetts athletics department extends condolences to Aidan’s family, friends, teammates and coaches. University resources are available for members of the UMass community to utilize during this challenging time.

From The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s University Health Services:

UMass Amherst requires all students who wish to live, learn, or conduct research on campus, access campus resources, or participate in campus events to be vaccinated for COVID-19 with a complete initial vaccine series. The university also highly recommends COVID-19 boosters for eligible students prior to the fall 2022 semester, consistent with timely CDC guidance and other applicable local, state, and federal legal guidance and authority. All vaccination requirements are subject to legally-recognized medical, disability, and religious accommodations. Scientific evidence to date, including the demonstrated effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, supports the university’s position. At all times, the university reserves the right to take additional steps, including current or future vaccines or boosters, and to require students to comply with other mitigation strategies, including testing and masking.

Students may apply for a religious or medical exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.

The university reported 97.78% of students and 96.17% of faculty & staff fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on May 12th, 2022.