dougm
01-30-2001, 10:36 AM
sorry to pass along this tragic loss from the lacrosse community. does anybody know if she is related to andrew whipple?
Saint Mary's Saddened by Death of Lacrosse Coach
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's College community is saddened to learn that head women's lacrosse coach Diane Whipple died Friday afternoon in San Francisco. The 33-year old Whipple came to the College as head coach on October 7, 1999.
Whipple became the College's first women's varsity lacrosse coach when the sport was elevated to Division I from the club sport level last year. She guided the program to an 8-8 finish in its inaugural season and was highly respected by peers and players.
Whipple came to Saint Mary's from The Menlo School, where she was the head coach in 1999 and an assistant coach with the program in 1998. She was also the head coach at UC San Diego during the 1992 and 1993 seasons. As a collegiate player at Penn State, she was a two-time first team All-American and was the NCAA Final Four MVP Midfielder in 1989. In 1990, Whipple was named the NCAA National Player of the Year and the Penn State Female Athlete of the Year.
"It is with much sadness that we have learned of the passing of our head women's lacrosse coach, a trusted and loyal member of our College community," said Brother Craig Franz FSC, Saint Mary's College President. "Her passing at such a young age makes this particularly difficult for us. We extend our thoughts and prayers to her family, friends, and our players, and share with them through the strength of our faith that she is with her Creator. We will continue to keep Diane in our prayers. The College community will celebrate her life in an appropriate eucharistic remembrance early next week."
College personnel were on hand Saturday morning to meet with members of the team and those affected by this incident. Members of the Department of Athletics and Recreational Sports, as well as staff from the Office of Student Affairs met with the students to support them at this sad time.
"We have great concern for everyone affected by this tragedy," commented Carl Clapp, Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports. "Diane brought a tremendous amount of passion and intensity to her job and she truly loved working with her players. It will be difficult to replace what Diane has brought to the program over the past two years."
Explain Attack on Former PA Woman
(AP) - The lawyer who owned the two dogs that attacked and killed a 33-year-old former Penn State lacrosse star says the animals were generally gentle and showed no previous signs of aggression.
But neighbors say they often avoided Robert Noel's dogs and regret not reporting them. Neighbors had nicknamed Bane, which is a Canary mastiff, the "Killer Dog" or "Dog of Death."
"None of us ever filed a complaint, and that's what makes me sick now," said Cydnee Dubrof, a dog owner who lives a few doors away from Noel and his wife, Marjorie Knoller. "This woman died from our negligence."
On Friday, the 123-pound dog lunged at Diane Whipple, who lived next door to Bane's owners in an upscale apartment building at Pacific Avenue and Fillmore Street. Whipple had just returned home from her job as women's lacrosse coach at St. Mary's College in Moraga.
On Friday, Diane Whipple, 33, was just putting her keys in her front door at about 4:00 p.m. when two dogs bounded toward her. The 123-pound Bane latched on to Whipple's neck while the other tore at her clothes.
The five-minute attack left Whipple and the dogs' handler drenched in blood. Neighbors who heard the screaming said they thought a mugging or rape was taking place. Whipple had deep bites to her neck and died at San Francisco General Hospital about five hours later.
Bane, a mix of English mastiff and Canary Island cattle dog, and the animal that bit Whipple's neck, was put down by animal control officers late Friday. The other dog, a 113-pound female named Hera, was taken to the animal control kennel.
Whipple weighed less than the dog that killed her, said Susan Scheetz, a long-time friend who was Whipple's lacrosse coach at Penn State University.
"She wasn't an extremely big person," said Scheetz, who guessed Whipple weighed 110 pounds and stood 5 feet 3 inches. Scheetz said Whipple graduated from high school in Manhasset on New York's Long Island.
Whipple was a two-time first team All-American lacrosse player at Penn State and was named NCAA National Player of the Year in 1990. She was on the Penn State squads that captured the NCAA Championships in 1987 and 1989.
Whipple was hired in 1999 as St. Mary's first varsity coach in the inaugural season as a Division I team.
"Diane brought a tremendous amount of passion and intensity to her job and she truly loved working with her players," said Carl Clapp, the school's director of athletics and recreational sports.
No charges have been filed against Noel, 59, or Knoller, 45, both attorneys who work out of their sixth-floor apartment.
"He looked like the beast of death," said Dubrof, who referred to Bane as "Killer Dog" to her friends. Whenever she and her shepherd-Doberman mutt neared Bane, Noel would try to keep his distance, she said.
"He definitely took evasive measures."
Despite neighbors' fears, Noel insisted that neither dog had ever shown aggression toward humans. In fact, Bane had in the past befriended a kitten, whom he would gently carry around in his mouth.
Noel said he once owned a greyhound that nipped at children. "Inside the hour, that dog was at the vet with a needle in his arm," Noel said. "If Bane had shown any aggression toward people, he wouldn't have been here."
Noel said he adopted the dogs about three months ago after suing pro bono on behalf of a client to have them released from a breeding facility that was leaving them chained outdoors.
When Noel won the case, it was discovered that Bane and Hera were ineligible for breeding because of health problems. Noel decided to adopt them to keep them from being destroyed.
The Canary dog is a powerfully built animal bred for fighting. The breed nearly became extinct in the 1960s because of a dog-fighting ban in its homeland, the Canary Islands.
Noel said his wife, who was injured in the attack, has received death threats over the phone because of the incident. He was at a loss to explain the attack on Whipple, who moved into the building to live with a friend about a month ago.
"Bane and I had encountered her at least four or five times in the past month," he said. "He had never shown the least bit of interest in her."
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Saint Mary's Saddened by Death of Lacrosse Coach
Moraga, CA - The Saint Mary's College community is saddened to learn that head women's lacrosse coach Diane Whipple died Friday afternoon in San Francisco. The 33-year old Whipple came to the College as head coach on October 7, 1999.
Whipple became the College's first women's varsity lacrosse coach when the sport was elevated to Division I from the club sport level last year. She guided the program to an 8-8 finish in its inaugural season and was highly respected by peers and players.
Whipple came to Saint Mary's from The Menlo School, where she was the head coach in 1999 and an assistant coach with the program in 1998. She was also the head coach at UC San Diego during the 1992 and 1993 seasons. As a collegiate player at Penn State, she was a two-time first team All-American and was the NCAA Final Four MVP Midfielder in 1989. In 1990, Whipple was named the NCAA National Player of the Year and the Penn State Female Athlete of the Year.
"It is with much sadness that we have learned of the passing of our head women's lacrosse coach, a trusted and loyal member of our College community," said Brother Craig Franz FSC, Saint Mary's College President. "Her passing at such a young age makes this particularly difficult for us. We extend our thoughts and prayers to her family, friends, and our players, and share with them through the strength of our faith that she is with her Creator. We will continue to keep Diane in our prayers. The College community will celebrate her life in an appropriate eucharistic remembrance early next week."
College personnel were on hand Saturday morning to meet with members of the team and those affected by this incident. Members of the Department of Athletics and Recreational Sports, as well as staff from the Office of Student Affairs met with the students to support them at this sad time.
"We have great concern for everyone affected by this tragedy," commented Carl Clapp, Director of Athletics and Recreational Sports. "Diane brought a tremendous amount of passion and intensity to her job and she truly loved working with her players. It will be difficult to replace what Diane has brought to the program over the past two years."
Explain Attack on Former PA Woman
(AP) - The lawyer who owned the two dogs that attacked and killed a 33-year-old former Penn State lacrosse star says the animals were generally gentle and showed no previous signs of aggression.
But neighbors say they often avoided Robert Noel's dogs and regret not reporting them. Neighbors had nicknamed Bane, which is a Canary mastiff, the "Killer Dog" or "Dog of Death."
"None of us ever filed a complaint, and that's what makes me sick now," said Cydnee Dubrof, a dog owner who lives a few doors away from Noel and his wife, Marjorie Knoller. "This woman died from our negligence."
On Friday, the 123-pound dog lunged at Diane Whipple, who lived next door to Bane's owners in an upscale apartment building at Pacific Avenue and Fillmore Street. Whipple had just returned home from her job as women's lacrosse coach at St. Mary's College in Moraga.
On Friday, Diane Whipple, 33, was just putting her keys in her front door at about 4:00 p.m. when two dogs bounded toward her. The 123-pound Bane latched on to Whipple's neck while the other tore at her clothes.
The five-minute attack left Whipple and the dogs' handler drenched in blood. Neighbors who heard the screaming said they thought a mugging or rape was taking place. Whipple had deep bites to her neck and died at San Francisco General Hospital about five hours later.
Bane, a mix of English mastiff and Canary Island cattle dog, and the animal that bit Whipple's neck, was put down by animal control officers late Friday. The other dog, a 113-pound female named Hera, was taken to the animal control kennel.
Whipple weighed less than the dog that killed her, said Susan Scheetz, a long-time friend who was Whipple's lacrosse coach at Penn State University.
"She wasn't an extremely big person," said Scheetz, who guessed Whipple weighed 110 pounds and stood 5 feet 3 inches. Scheetz said Whipple graduated from high school in Manhasset on New York's Long Island.
Whipple was a two-time first team All-American lacrosse player at Penn State and was named NCAA National Player of the Year in 1990. She was on the Penn State squads that captured the NCAA Championships in 1987 and 1989.
Whipple was hired in 1999 as St. Mary's first varsity coach in the inaugural season as a Division I team.
"Diane brought a tremendous amount of passion and intensity to her job and she truly loved working with her players," said Carl Clapp, the school's director of athletics and recreational sports.
No charges have been filed against Noel, 59, or Knoller, 45, both attorneys who work out of their sixth-floor apartment.
"He looked like the beast of death," said Dubrof, who referred to Bane as "Killer Dog" to her friends. Whenever she and her shepherd-Doberman mutt neared Bane, Noel would try to keep his distance, she said.
"He definitely took evasive measures."
Despite neighbors' fears, Noel insisted that neither dog had ever shown aggression toward humans. In fact, Bane had in the past befriended a kitten, whom he would gently carry around in his mouth.
Noel said he once owned a greyhound that nipped at children. "Inside the hour, that dog was at the vet with a needle in his arm," Noel said. "If Bane had shown any aggression toward people, he wouldn't have been here."
Noel said he adopted the dogs about three months ago after suing pro bono on behalf of a client to have them released from a breeding facility that was leaving them chained outdoors.
When Noel won the case, it was discovered that Bane and Hera were ineligible for breeding because of health problems. Noel decided to adopt them to keep them from being destroyed.
The Canary dog is a powerfully built animal bred for fighting. The breed nearly became extinct in the 1960s because of a dog-fighting ban in its homeland, the Canary Islands.
Noel said his wife, who was injured in the attack, has received death threats over the phone because of the incident. He was at a loss to explain the attack on Whipple, who moved into the building to live with a friend about a month ago.
"Bane and I had encountered her at least four or five times in the past month," he said. "He had never shown the least bit of interest in her."
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