UMass Amherst Lacrosse Star Aidan Kaminska ‘Unexpectedly’ Dies At 19

Student and star lacrosse player of the University of Massachusetts Amherst “unexpectedly” died at the age of 19, according to an obituary, which did not include a cause of death.

Aidan Kaminska was a sophomore from Stony Brook, New York, majoring in communications and a midfielder on the Minutemen lacrosse team.

“Aidan was known for his infectious smile, being a good friend, and a tremendous athlete,” the obituary stated. “Aidan loved to be goofy and make people laugh. He loved baby animals, especially ducklings and bunnies. He enjoyed taking long walks in nature, and he worked out fiercely. He also enjoyed cooking, often sautéing fresh spinach and trying out new recipes.”

Kaminska started playing lacrosse at a young age as part of a newly-formed program at Port Jefferson. He played in many travel lacrosse teams, including Legacy Lacrosse, of which he was a member of the championship team that won the World Series of Youth Lacrosse in 2016. During his time in high school, Kaminska was a captain on both the boys’ football and lacrosse teams and was named All-County Midfielder in his junior year for lacrosse. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, he was unable to play his senior year.

In his first year of college, Kaminska was named “Rookie-of-the-Week” following a three-goal performance in a game against Hofstra University, which offered its “deepest condolences to the Kaminska family and the (UMass lacrosse) community” in a tweet.

Kaminska’s mother, Lydia Johnston Kaminska, shared videos and photos of her child throughout the years on Facebook.

“My beautiful son. Aidan. My heart is forever broken,” she wrote on Monday.