Passages: Azusa Pacific Sophomore Swimmer Sydney Benveniste

Passages: Azusa Pacific Sophomore Swimmer Sydney Benveniste

Sydney Benveniste, a sophomore on Azusa Pacific’s women’s swimming and diving team, died this week.

The university confirmed the death on Wednesday with a statement of condolences. No cause of death or confirmed date of Benveniste’s passing is listed.

“On behalf of Azusa Pacific University, the athletics department, and swim & dive program, our thoughts and prayers are with the Benveniste family following the tragic death of their daughter Sydney,” read the statement by APU Director of Athletics Gary Pine.

Benveniste was a native of Redlands, Calif., and a graduate of Redlands East Valley High. She qualified for junior nationals in 2015 as a member of Piranha Swim Team in Loma Linda and helped REV finish second in the 2018 CIF-SS Division 2 finals. She competed for the Cougars in 2019-20 as a freshman, appearing in eight meets. She redshirted in 2020-21.

Benveniste does not appear to have competed for Azusa Pacific in a meet since the La Verne Winter Invitational in November. She did not swim at the recent Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships.

Funeral arrangements and a full obituary have not yet been published.

Benveniste’s death was announced on Wednesday, the same day that Stanford soccer player Katie Meyer was found dead, a story the gained national attention.

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bill smith

2 years ago

Does anyone know what caused her death?