Police officials have still not been able to determine the cause of death of 21-year-old Whittier College top athlete, Alyssa Sialaris, who was found dead April 4 at her off-campus apartment.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has not found any visible signs of trauma after conducting an autopsy on her body and the Whittier police do not suspect foul play.
Whittier College President Sharon Herzberger said that Sialaris was a brave, gifted and talented young woman.
Sialaris, part of the volleyball and track-and-field teams, achieved multiple honors from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC), American Volleyball Coaches Association, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
She was also ranked third nationally in volleyball for kills-per-set.
"Alyssa was a tremendous student-athlete and supportive teammate," said Whittier College Athletic Director, Robert J. Coleman. "Her energetic spirit, her drive and focus, made her an exceptional competitor and an equally accomplished scholar. No question, this is a tragic loss for our sports community."
Sialaris, a senior in kinesiology and nutrition science was supposed to graduate next month with outstanding academic records.
The college officials have painted a 100-year-old rock purple in her honor. Sialaris often sported a purple bandana.
Whittier College, a private liberal arts college has around 1,540 undergraduate and graduate students. The college's athletic teams known as 'Poets' compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) of NCAA Division III
The athletic teams comprises of football, men's and women's basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, lacrosse and water polo; women's softball and volleyball; and men's baseball and golf.
