Binghamton University mourns death of student from Queens
The Binghamton Police Department student said Stefani Lineva, 20, of Queens, was killed in an apparent hit-and-run incident near the upstate university on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016. Credit: Binghamton University
The Binghamton University community was in mourning Monday, as police search for the driver in an apparent hit-and-run that left a 20-year-old junior from Queens dead.
The upstate school on Sunday announced the death of Stefani Lineva, of Middle Village, a member of the women’s tennis team and a first-semester transfer from Adelphi University in Garden City.
The Associated Press reported Lineva was found lying in the eastbound lane of Route 434, which borders the Binghamton campus, at about 2 a.m. Saturday. Authorities said Lineva was transported to UHS Wilson Medical Center in nearby Johnson City, where she was pronounced dead.
Police, who previously told the media the injuries Lineva suffered were “consistent with being struck by a vehicle,” declined to comment on the investigation on Monday — other than to say detectives were “knee-deep” in their search for a suspect.
In a statement released over the weekend, Binghamton president Harvey Stenger said of the death of Lineva: “The loss of someone so young and talented is almost impossible to imagine and impacts our entire community. We will miss Stefani’s spirit, passion and engagement with everyone she touched on our campus. On behalf of the University community, I offer my deepest condolences to Stefani’s family, teammates, classmates and all who knew and loved her. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts as we all mourn her loss.”
The school said counseling services for students and staff were available through the University Counseling Center and the Employee Assistance Program.
“Stefani was a bright and talented young woman who even in her brief time at Binghamton, embodied the exceptional spirit of being a student-athlete at our University,” Binghamton athletic director Patrick Elliott said.
A graduate of Forest Hills High School, Lineva was the runner-up in the Public Schools Athletic League New York City singles tennis championships as a senior. She was the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year at Adelphi in 2014-15, going a combined 31-6 in singles and doubles, including 22-1 against conference opponents. Last spring, as an all-conference player, Lineva played No. 1 singles as she led Adelphi to its first-ever conference title.
Lineva also was a star in the classroom, a four-time selection for the Northeast-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll at Adelphi.
Officials at Binghamton said she planned to major in psychology and pre-med.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
