BY JIM WRIGHT
Press & Sun-Bulletin
Toni Copeland, the 18-year-old McDonough woman trying to become an Olympic wrestler, drowned Sunday with a friend while they were swimming in Lake Superior.
Copeland was staying at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich., while she trained for the 2008 Olympics.
She was pulled from the lake — 150 feet from shore and in approximately 9 feet of water — about 30 minutes after she was reported missing and a possible drowning victim, Marquette City Police said Sunday.
Cassiano Huckabee, 18, of Chicago, a student at Northern Michigan University, drowned at the same time, according to police.
The two were pronounced dead at the Marquette General Hospital where their bodies were transported, detective Captain Mike Angeli said.
Copeland lived with her grandparents, Donald and Deborah Copeland, of Route 220, McDonough, while attending Oxford Academy and Central School.
“She had a bright, bubbly personality, “said former Oxford Academy Superintendent Grayson Stevens. “She had one of the nicest smiles I have ever seen. She was a terrific kid, an excellent, absolutely well-rounded student. Monday is going to be a real tough day in the school.”
Copeland attended Oxford schools all her life, finishing her junior year in June before leaving Chenango County when given the opportunity to train in Michigan, at Olympic Committee expense, under the guidance of head women’s wrestling coach Shannon Gillespie.
The school district’s grief counseling services will be available when the high school opens today, said Superintendent Randy Squires.
The U.S. Olympic Training Center is located in Marquette, Mich., on the campus of Northern Michigan University. Copeland was listed by police as being a member of the U.S. Olympic Education Center.
Police said they received the initial call at 2:43 p.m. and dispatched units to the area of Picnic Rocks on Lakeshore Boulevard. Two department divers were transported to the scene by a U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat, and an immediate search began for the two missing swimmers, Angeli said.
“She was a pioneer in the sport and put a fresh face on wrestling in New York state. She was a real success story from our area,”said Oxford coach Scott Green.
Copeland recently placed fifth in the 160-pound open women’s world trials and was a two-time runner-up — including this year — at the Junior Nationals, held in Fargo, N.D., Green said
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