COPAKE, N.Y. (AP) — Federal investigators are outlining the final moments of a plane crash last month in upstate New York that killed a family from Massachusetts heading to the Catskills to celebrate a birthday and the Passover holiday.

The victims of the April 12 crash in Copake, New York, included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year; her physician parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini; her brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte; and Karenna Groff’s boyfriend, James Santoro.

The National Transportation Safety Board, in a preliminary report issued Friday, said the private plane departed Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, at around 11:30 a.m. heading north to Columbia County Airport in Hudson.

Piloted by Michael Groff, the plane had left the Boston suburbs early Saturday morning, picking up Karenna Groff and Santoro in White Plains before making the short trip to the Catskills to celebrate Karenna Goff’s 25th birthday.

But at about 11:57 a.m., Michael Groff informed air traffic control that he’d missed the initial approach to the runway at Columbia County Airport, according to the report. The controller then gave him new instructions for the landing, which Groff acknowledged a little after 12 p.m.

About a minute later, though, the controller warned Groff the plane was flying at a low altitude, the report states. The pilot never responded, and, despite multiple warnings, air traffic control received no further radio transmissions from the plane until radar contact was eventually lost.

The Mitsubishi MU-2B-40 crashed in snow covered terrain roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the airport.

Investigators didn’t provide an exact cause of the crash in the preliminary report.

But they noted that all major components of the aircraft found within a 150-foot debris field and that no significant weather advisories were in effect in the region at the time of the crash.

NTSB officials have previously said overcast conditions may have impacted the pilot’s visibility and that an initial investigation had not turned up any issues with the aircraft.

The victims of the April 12 crash in Copake, New York, included Karenna Groff, a former MIT soccer player named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year; her physician parents, Dr. Michael Groff and Dr. Joy Saini; her brother, Jared Groff, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte; and Karenna Groff’s boyfriend, James Santoro.

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OTTAWA, Kan. –  The Ottawa University women’s basketball program is pleased to announce the signing of Aaliyah Brown for the 2025-26 season. She is from The Colony, Texas and is a transfer from Allen Community College. Brown spent one year at Grayson Community College and attended The Colony High School.

Brown played in 26 games in 2024-26 for Allen Community College. She averaged 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Brown shot 45.3 percent from the floor and 72.4 percent from the free throw line. As a freshman at Grayson Community College, Brown played in 27 games, averaging 2.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. She shot 50 percent from the floor and 48.4 percent from the free throw line.

While at The Colony High School, Brown lettered in basketball and volleyball. She helped the Cougars to a district, bi-district, and regional championship. Brown was named Co-Offensive MVP as a senior, earned First Team All-Conference, earned the Sports Star Local Media Award, was named to the All-Area Girls Team and was selected TABC All-Region.

“Aaliyah comes to us from one of the best coached community colleges in the area,” said OU head women’s basketball coach Hunter Bondurant. “Her stats and success at that level speak for themselves! Her motor and physicality will bring some exciting juice to our program on both ends of the floor. Excited to get her on campus!”

Brown is the daughter of Misten Brown and Jerome Brown and plans to major in physical education. She played travel ball for Higher Goals and SIS Hoops under coaches Wayne Watts and Kiara Tate.
 
 
 

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The Wesleyan men’s soccer team hosted a 100-year anniversary celebration on campus on April 26, wherein current players and alums across multiple decades came back to campus to celebrate 100 years.
 
The WeSoccer100 event started with 20+ alums sharing highlights of their careers in small groups with active members of the varsity team over coffee in the Freeman Athletic Center. Then a larger group of 40+ alums gathered at Smith Field, donated by soccer alum Renny Smith ’78.
 
Two half field matches, seven alums aside with goalies, were played on pitched divided between self-selected ‘All-Stars or Legends’.
 
Then in the evening, the group reunited at the Daniels Family Commons in Usdan for a formal ceremony and dinner. Every team portrait from 1924 through current day was on display, along with some old uniforms. Founding Coach Hugh McCurdy’s archived notes of his years, old Argus articles, histories of famous teams like the 1966 winners over Brown and the Wesleyan Hall of Fame 1991 squad (16-0-1 record), lists of team captains, All-Americans, and season records were also shared.
 
Athletic Director Mike Whalen ’83, Dan Lynch ’81, former Coach Don Long, current team captain Colin Campbell ’25, and Head Coach Geoff Wheeler all spoke at the ceremony. Videos of a Terry Jackson interview and a congratulations from former USA Coach Bob Bradley were shown, as well as highlights from the 2024 squad that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
 

Gallery: (4-26-2025) Men’s Soccer Centennial Dinner

For Mental Health Awareness Month, a new edition of ESPN E60 debuts Saturday with Save – The Katie Meyer Story.

In 2022, the sports world was stunned by the death of Stanford soccer captain Katie Meyer, who died by suicide just three months shy of graduation.

In the aftermath, her family began a search for answers and ultimately a fight for change. E60 examines Meyer’s life and impact, spotlighting the California law passed in her name and driven by advocacy from her parents.

The episode premieres Saturday, May 10, at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN, streaming afterward on ESPN+.

E60 producer/director Jennifer Karson-Strauss, a former NCAA Division I collegiate soccer player at Pepperdine, and ESPN’s Julie Foudy, a Hall of Fame player during her soccer career, worked together to tell the story. Karson-Strauss spoke with Front Row: 

How did you come to do this story?
I first heard about Katie Meyer’s tragic death when it made national headlines in 2022. At the time, I, like many others, only knew the surface of the story. It wasn’t until later that year that I began to understand the deeper, more complex circumstances surrounding the final months of Katie’s life.

The real momentum came over a year later, when Julie Foudy reached out to me with the idea of pursuing the story together. From that point on, we committed ourselves to digging into the details and, most importantly, earning the trust of the Meyer family so we could tell their story with clarity, care and respect.

And as a parent, I felt the Meyer family’s pain in a very personal way. I can’t fully imagine what they’re going through, but their grief stayed with me throughout the reporting.
– Jennifer Karson-Strauss

How much did your background as a college soccer player help you in the telling of this story?
My background as a college soccer player really helped me connect with Katie’s story. We actually played for the same club team – just at different times – and knew a lot of the same people. That shared world gave me a deeper understanding of her drive and the pressure that comes with playing at that level.

And as a parent, I felt the Meyer family’s pain in a very personal way. I can’t fully imagine what they’re going through, but their grief stayed with me throughout the reporting.

What do you hope viewers take away from this story?
Katie could have been anyone’s friend, sister, or daughter. Her story is a powerful reminder that even the brightest, most energetic people can be carrying unseen struggles. I hope viewers take away the importance of checking in – not just with those who seem vulnerable, but with those who appear the strongest, too. Ultimately, I hope that those who watch this story never forget Katie and that through the depth of the pain felt by her loss, that maybe, just maybe, her story helps someone else.

ESPN reporter Julie Foudy (R) interviews Gina Meyer, mother of Katie Myer, in the family’s California home. (Jennifer Karson-Strauss/ESPN)

Katie Meyer’s parents, Gina and Steve Meyer, and her sisters Sam and Siena in their California home during E60’s production of “Save – The Katie Myer Story.” (Jennifer Karson-Strauss/ESPN)

The E60 crew films in Borchard Community Park in Newbury Park, Calif., a place where Katie Myer trained for soccer with her father and sister. (Jennifer Karson-Strauss/ESPN)

The E60 crew films in Borchard Community Park in Newbury Park, Calif., a place where Katie Myer trained for soccer with her father and sister. (Jennifer Karson-Strauss/ESPN)