Teen Soccer Player Collapses, Dies During Practice
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A soccer player for Robert Morris University collapsed and died during practice in the University Village neighborhood on Wednesday.
Robert Morris University officials confirmed 19-year-old Jesus Lupian collapsed while practicing at a soccer field at the University of Illinois at Chicago campus on Wednesday.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office, Lupian was pronounced dead at 7:20 p.m. Wednesday at the University of Illinois Medical Center.
Lupian, a sophomore at Robert Morris University, was practicing with the school's soccer team on the UIC field, which was rented out to Robert Morris on Wednesday.
"Everybody at Robert Morris is really devastated with his loss," Robert Morris provost Mablene Krueger said. "It is just awful and devastating."
There were grief counselors at the university Thursday to help fellow students and teammates, as well as coaches, faculty and staff, deal with his death, Krueger said.
Counselors will be visiting the classes Lupian was enrolled in, as well as talking with his team Thursday afternoon, she said. Additionally, counselors will be available to anyone at the school by appointment and on standby, she added.
Lupian was a sophomore at Robert Morris, studying accounting, according to Krueger. He was a 2011 graduate of Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, who previously attended Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, according to his Facebook page.
She said has spoken to academic and athletic staff who knew Lupian and worked with him, and everything they had to say about him was positive.
"Every report I have is he was a wonderful young man and a good student. Everyone has talked very highly of him."
The school will be investigating his death, as well, she said. "He had just passed his physical," Krueger noted, "since practice had just started. Our community at Robert Morris is really devastated by this,"
An autopsy was scheduled for later Thursday and Area Central detectives are conducting a death investigation.
(The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.)
