URI student athlete who collapsed, dies

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) - A University of Rhode Island student athlete who collapsed Monday evening during baseball practice, has passed away.

In a statement released to Eyewitness News, a URI spokesperson says 20-year-old Joseph Paul Ciancola, a member of the school's baseball team, died Thursday afternoon at Rhode Island Hospital. Ciancola was a native of Orange, Connecticut.

The statement reads that Ciancola "suffered a medical emergency during a team preseason conditioning workout on Monday, Oct. 24. He was transported from the Kingston campus to South County Hospital in South Kingstown, R.I. The workout was held under the supervision of an NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) certified coach. Ciancola was later transported to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence."

University of Rhode Island President David M. Dooley released the following statement.

"Joe was a beloved member of our baseball team and the URI community. We will miss him more than is possible to say. We send all of our sympathy, hopes, and prayers to Joe's family. We pray that our shared memories of Joe, and his love for baseball and for life, will be a comfort to all who mourn his passing."

University of Rhode Island Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn also released a statement on the passing of Ciancola.

"It is a tragedy any time you lose someone close to you, and even more so when it is a member of your family. Joe was and will continue to be a part of the University of Rhode Island Athletics family. On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators, I want to express our profound sadness for Joe's passing. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and many friends. We mourn his loss and offer our thoughts and prayers to those closest with him."

The cause of death has not been determined.