Former Shippensburg University student, athlete and assistant field hockey coach Amanda Strous, Class of 2011, died in an apartment fire in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 18.

According to CBS North Carolina, the incident was first reported around 5:30 p.m. in the 12100 block of Toscana Way in a Charlotte apartment complex. Officials said the fire was intentionally set. Strous, 27, was in the apartment at the time of the blaze. Firefighters worked for 15 minutes before pulling Strous out of the burning apartment. She was rushed to Carolinas Medical Center-Steele Creek, but died from her injuries.

Officials believe the fire was not a random act of violence.

Strous was engaged, with the wedding date set for July 30. A homicide investigation is currently ongoing.

Strous was a star on the SU field hockey team and a key player in SU’s playoff run in 2010. In 2010, Strous’ senior season, she tallied 11 goals and five assists, while helping the Raiders reach the NCAA Division II National Championship game. She served as team captain that same year. In her SU career, she scored 24 goals and 13 assists for 61 career points.

After graduation, Strous served as an assistant field hockey coach at Hamilton College in New York. She then returned to SU in the fall of 2012 as an assistant to head coach Bertie Landes while she worked to complete her graduate degree in mental health counseling. In 2013, Strous was the primary assistant to Landes when SU won its first-ever NCAA Division II National Championship in field hockey.

Strous completed her master’s degree in 2015. At the time of her death Strous worked as a college student counselor at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, according to her Facebook profile.

“One life matters, and indeed, the life of Amanda Strous mattered to her teammates, friends, her family and her beloved Ship family,” Landes told SU Sports Information. “Her love, care and concern for each of us was reflected in her daily life while at Ship and in her move to North Carolina.”

Strous was from York, Pennsylvania and graduated from Dallastown High School. Dallastown field hockey released a statement on Facebook regarding Strous’ death, inviting people to pay their respects at a candlelight vigil at her Dallastown home on Monday, June 20. 

Katie Pufnock, a former teammate of Strous', set up a GoFundMe account to help cover funeral expenses. The account has raised $7,663 of its $15,000 goal as of early Monday morning.

Upon release, additional information regarding the death of Strous will be provided at theslateonline.com. Friends, family and loved ones may contact Slate Sports Editor William Whisler at slatesports@gmail.com if they would like to provide comment on Strous' life.

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