Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Former NCAA woman of year dies in plane crash

Written by 
Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 13 April 2025 22:27

Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year, died Saturday along with six other people -- including members of her family -- in a plane crash in upstate New York.

The twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B went down shortly after noon in a muddy field in Copake, New York, near the Massachusetts line, killing everyone on board, according to authorities and a family member who spoke to The Associated Press.

Shortly before the crash, the pilot had radioed air traffic control at Columbia County Airport to say he had missed the initial approach and requested a new approach plan, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board said at a Sunday briefing. While preparing the new coordinates, air traffic controllers attempted to relay a low altitude alert three times with no response from the pilot and no distress call, officials said.

Investigators obtained video of the final seconds of the flight, which "appears to show that the aircraft was intact and crashed at a high rate of descent into the ground," NTSB official Todd Inman told reporters.

Among the victims were Groff; her father, Dr. Michael Groff, a neuroscientist; her mother, Dr. Joy Saini, a urogynecologist; her brother, Jared Groff, a 2022 graduate of Swarthmore College who worked as a paralegal; Alexia Couyutas Duarte, Jared Groff's partner who also graduated Swarthmore and planned to attend Harvard Law School this fall; and Karenna Groff's boyfriend, James Santoro, another recent MIT graduate, according to a family statement Sunday.

Santoro's father, John Santoro, told the AP that his son first met Karenna Groff as a freshman studying at MIT. Groff, who grew up in Weston, Massachusetts, was an All-American soccer player studying biomedical engineering. Santoro, a math major from New Jersey, played lacrosse for the school.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Groff co-founded openPPE, helping to create a new design of masks for essential workers. In 2023, she received the prestigious NCAA woman of the year award for the previous year for her on- and off-field accomplishments.

"Really, this recognition is a testament to my MIT women's soccer family and all of the guidance, support and friendship they have provided for me over the years," she said in an interview at the time.

After graduating, Santoro and Groff moved to Manhattan, where Groff enrolled in medical school at New York University and Santoro worked as an investment associate for Silver Point, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Connecticut.

On Saturday morning, the family headed to Westchester County Airport in White Plains, a suburb of New York City, where they boarded Michael Groff's private plane. They were set to land at Columbia County Airport but crashed roughly 10 miles to the south. The plane was "compressed, buckled and embedded in the terrain" of a muddy agricultural field, Inman said.

The pilot was flying under instrument flight rules, rather than visual flight rules, but it was too soon to determine if reduced visibility from weather conditions was a factor, he said.

The plane had been sold a year ago and had an upgraded cockpit with newer technology that was certified to Federal Aviation Administration standards, according to the NTSB.

Investigators expect to be at the crash site for about a week, and a full accident report could take 12 to 24 months to complete, Inman said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read 12 times

Soccer

Source: Onana feeling refreshed after time away

Source: Onana feeling refreshed after time away

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAndré Onana believes that time away from the Manchester United team...

Iñigo Martínez gives new meaning to 'remontada' for Barcelona

Iñigo Martínez gives new meaning to 'remontada' for Barcelona

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Spanish word "remontada" is becoming infamous around the world...

MLS Power Rankings: New No. 1 Vancouver proves it's for real

MLS Power Rankings: New No. 1 Vancouver proves it's for real

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe 2025 MLS season is now firmly underway, which means it's time f...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Hornets star Ball must 'get stronger,' coach says

Hornets star Ball must 'get stronger,' coach says

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Head coach Charles Lee left no doubt about his o...

Nuggets' Kroenke: Firings months in the making

Nuggets' Kroenke: Firings months in the making

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDENVER -- Nuggets vice chairman Josh Kroenke said Monday that he tw...

Baseball

Mets outfielder Siri headed to IL with broken leg

Mets outfielder Siri headed to IL with broken leg

EmailPrintMINNEAPOLIS -- New York Mets outfielder Jose Siri is headed to the injured list with a bro...

Skenes, Davis form 1st battery of MLB No. 1 picks

Skenes, Davis form 1st battery of MLB No. 1 picks

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes bounced back from the worst start of his...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated