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Georgia high school student dies during summer workout, investigation - USA TODAY

June 11, 2019 at 11:52PM

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She was head cheerleader and a top student. Then, the Georgia teen died suddenly while running laps

News outlets report 17-year-old Elyse Purefoy died while running laps on Monday. Her father said authorities are investigating the cause of death.

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Associated Press Published 10:25 a.m. ET June 11, 2019 | Updated 10:33 a.m. ET June 11, 2019

CLOSEGeorgia high school student dies during summer workout, investigation - USA TODAY

South Western senior Jonah Barney had heart surgery in November. He returned to the lacrosse field this spring. Jim Seip, York Daily Record

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A member of a Georgia high school dance team collapsed and died while training outdoors.

News outlets report 17-year-old Elyse Purefoy passed out while running laps on Monday. Witnesses notified authorities, and the Arabia Mountain rising senior was later pronounced dead.

Relatives say she felt tired before heading to practice that morning. Purefoy's brother, Malik, told WXIA-TV that she had passed out during practice before, but he doesn't believe she had any preexisting conditions.

Purefoy recently joined the dance team, was captain of the school's cheerleading squad and had a 3.9 GPA. Her father, Hank, said authorities are investigating the cause of death.

A vigil was held outside the family's home in Stone Mountain on Monday.

High school athletics: How to prevent cardiac arrest in young athletes

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imageA dressed up protester knees next to German police during a protest of the "Extinction rebellion" (XR) Berlin group who chained themselves to a fence of the Chancellery to urge the government to declare a climate emergency on June 11, 2019 in Berlin. - XR uses non-violent civil disobedience to put pressure on media and governments world wide to address the multiple ecological crises we are facing (Photo by Paul Zinken / DPA / AFP) / Germany OUTPAUL ZINKEN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 589499823Indonesian soldiers from the Raider 112 infantry battalion march with various weaponry during training at their base in Banda Aceh on June 11, 2019. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8SNTOPSHOT - Sudanese residents walk in the central market of Khartoum on June 10, 2019, as most of the shops and businesses remained shut. - Residents generally stayed indoors in the Sudanese capital on June 11 as a nationwide civil disobedience campaign aimed at pressuring the military rulers entered a third day. (Photo by - / AFP)-/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: 676 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE9XWepa07641012 Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge greets well-wishers as she visits the Market Square in Keswick, Cumbria, Britain, 11 June 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a visit to Cumbria county. EPA-EFE/ROBERT PERRY ORG XMIT: GLG04epa07641049 Visitors attend the 96th Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy, 11 June 2019. The event, which showcases men's clothing and accessory collections, runs from 11 to 14 June. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINIepa07640852 A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire inside a tree during a forest fire in El Perello, Catalonia, Spain, 11 June 2019. The fire, now under control, has burnt a total of 200 hectares throughout the night. EPA-EFE/JAUME SELLART ORG XMIT: GRAFCAT437epa07640448 Indian boys cool off in the Ganges river during hot weather in Kolkata, India, 11 June 2019. India's Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert for five districts in Kolkata after hot weather saw the temperature reach over 36 degrees Celsius. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARYTOPSHOT - This picture shows the Yasser Arafat Mosque at sunrise in the West Bank City of Nablus, on June 11, 2019. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8I1TOPSHOT - People in a pickup truck drive past flood-affected residents at a village in Andadowi on June 11, 2019. - More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Southeast Sulawesi province. (Photo by Suwarjono / AFP)SUWARJONO/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE9WJTOPSHOT - Co-workers of paramedic Mohammed al-Jdaili, who succumbed to his wounds a month after being shot during clashes along the Gaza border, mourn during his funeral in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on June 11, 2019. - The Palestinian Red Crescent organisation said in a statement that 36-year-old Jdaili had been hit in the face by a rubber-coated bullet "while performing his humanitarian duties" in northern Gaza on May 3. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: 1497 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HF0F5epaselect epa07640795 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (L) greets Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (R) at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 11 June 2019. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL ORG XMIT: NGH26epa07640347 Palestinians inspect a house, which was demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Hebron, 11 June 2019. The house which is located in H2 area was demolished for allegedly not having the permits to be built. EPA-EFE/ABED AL HASHLAMOUN ORG XMIT: HEB 02BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JUNE 11: The tourist boat the Mermaid is raised from the Danube river on June 11, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. At least 20 people died in the May 29 accident when a larger sightseeing vessel collided with the Mermaid, a small boat carrying mostly South Korean tourists, on the Danube river. Crews are searching for seven South Koreans and the boat's Hungarian captain. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775354385 ORIG FILE ID: 1149033698
epa07640448 Indian boys cool off in the Ganges river during hot weather in Kolkata, India, 11 June 2019. India's Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert for five districts in Kolkata after hot weather saw the temperature reach over 36 degrees Celsius. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARYTOPSHOT - People in a pickup truck drive past flood-affected residents at a village in Andadowi on June 11, 2019. - More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Southeast Sulawesi province. (Photo by Suwarjono / AFP)SUWARJONO/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE9WJepaselect epa07640795 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (L) greets Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (R) at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 11 June 2019. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL ORG XMIT: NGH26BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JUNE 11: The tourist boat the Mermaid is raised from the Danube river on June 11, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. At least 20 people died in the May 29 accident when a larger sightseeing vessel collided with the Mermaid, a small boat carrying mostly South Korean tourists, on the Danube river. Crews are searching for seven South Koreans and the boat's Hungarian captain. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775354385 ORIG FILE ID: 1149033698Indonesian soldiers from the Raider 112 infantry battalion march with various weaponry during training at their base in Banda Aceh on June 11, 2019. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8SNepa07641012 Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge greets well-wishers as she visits the Market Square in Keswick, Cumbria, Britain, 11 June 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a visit to Cumbria county. EPA-EFE/ROBERT PERRY ORG XMIT: GLG04epa07640852 A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire inside a tree during a forest fire in El Perello, Catalonia, Spain, 11 June 2019. The fire, now under control, has burnt a total of 200 hectares throughout the night. EPA-EFE/JAUME SELLART ORG XMIT: GRAFCAT437
Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about

She was head cheerleader and a top student. Then, the Georgia teen died suddenly while running laps

News outlets report 17-year-old Elyse Purefoy died while running laps on Monday. Her father said authorities are investigating the cause of death.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Associated Press Published 10:25 a.m. ET June 11, 2019 | Updated 10:33 a.m. ET June 11, 2019

CLOSEGeorgia high school student dies during summer workout, investigation - USA TODAY

South Western senior Jonah Barney had heart surgery in November. He returned to the lacrosse field this spring. Jim Seip, York Daily Record

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A member of a Georgia high school dance team collapsed and died while training outdoors.

News outlets report 17-year-old Elyse Purefoy passed out while running laps on Monday. Witnesses notified authorities, and the Arabia Mountain rising senior was later pronounced dead.

Relatives say she felt tired before heading to practice that morning. Purefoy's brother, Malik, told WXIA-TV that she had passed out during practice before, but he doesn't believe she had any preexisting conditions.

Purefoy recently joined the dance team, was captain of the school's cheerleading squad and had a 3.9 GPA. Her father, Hank, said authorities are investigating the cause of death.

A vigil was held outside the family's home in Stone Mountain on Monday.

High school athletics: How to prevent cardiac arrest in young athletes

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Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/06/11/georgia-high-school-student-dies-during-summer-workout-investigation/1418517001/

imageA dressed up protester knees next to German police during a protest of the "Extinction rebellion" (XR) Berlin group who chained themselves to a fence of the Chancellery to urge the government to declare a climate emergency on June 11, 2019 in Berlin. - XR uses non-violent civil disobedience to put pressure on media and governments world wide to address the multiple ecological crises we are facing (Photo by Paul Zinken / DPA / AFP) / Germany OUTPAUL ZINKEN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 589499823Indonesian soldiers from the Raider 112 infantry battalion march with various weaponry during training at their base in Banda Aceh on June 11, 2019. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8SNTOPSHOT - Sudanese residents walk in the central market of Khartoum on June 10, 2019, as most of the shops and businesses remained shut. - Residents generally stayed indoors in the Sudanese capital on June 11 as a nationwide civil disobedience campaign aimed at pressuring the military rulers entered a third day. (Photo by - / AFP)-/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: 676 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE9XWepa07641012 Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge greets well-wishers as she visits the Market Square in Keswick, Cumbria, Britain, 11 June 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a visit to Cumbria county. EPA-EFE/ROBERT PERRY ORG XMIT: GLG04epa07641049 Visitors attend the 96th Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy, 11 June 2019. The event, which showcases men's clothing and accessory collections, runs from 11 to 14 June. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINIepa07640852 A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire inside a tree during a forest fire in El Perello, Catalonia, Spain, 11 June 2019. The fire, now under control, has burnt a total of 200 hectares throughout the night. EPA-EFE/JAUME SELLART ORG XMIT: GRAFCAT437epa07640448 Indian boys cool off in the Ganges river during hot weather in Kolkata, India, 11 June 2019. India's Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert for five districts in Kolkata after hot weather saw the temperature reach over 36 degrees Celsius. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARYTOPSHOT - This picture shows the Yasser Arafat Mosque at sunrise in the West Bank City of Nablus, on June 11, 2019. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8I1TOPSHOT - People in a pickup truck drive past flood-affected residents at a village in Andadowi on June 11, 2019. - More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Southeast Sulawesi province. (Photo by Suwarjono / AFP)SUWARJONO/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE9WJTOPSHOT - Co-workers of paramedic Mohammed al-Jdaili, who succumbed to his wounds a month after being shot during clashes along the Gaza border, mourn during his funeral in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on June 11, 2019. - The Palestinian Red Crescent organisation said in a statement that 36-year-old Jdaili had been hit in the face by a rubber-coated bullet "while performing his humanitarian duties" in northern Gaza on May 3. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: 1497 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HF0F5epaselect epa07640795 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (L) greets Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (R) at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 11 June 2019. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL ORG XMIT: NGH26epa07640347 Palestinians inspect a house, which was demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Hebron, 11 June 2019. The house which is located in H2 area was demolished for allegedly not having the permits to be built. EPA-EFE/ABED AL HASHLAMOUN ORG XMIT: HEB 02BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JUNE 11: The tourist boat the Mermaid is raised from the Danube river on June 11, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. At least 20 people died in the May 29 accident when a larger sightseeing vessel collided with the Mermaid, a small boat carrying mostly South Korean tourists, on the Danube river. Crews are searching for seven South Koreans and the boat's Hungarian captain. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775354385 ORIG FILE ID: 1149033698
epa07640448 Indian boys cool off in the Ganges river during hot weather in Kolkata, India, 11 June 2019. India's Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave alert for five districts in Kolkata after hot weather saw the temperature reach over 36 degrees Celsius. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARYTOPSHOT - People in a pickup truck drive past flood-affected residents at a village in Andadowi on June 11, 2019. - More than 4,000 people were forced to evacuate due to flooding in Southeast Sulawesi province. (Photo by Suwarjono / AFP)SUWARJONO/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE9WJepaselect epa07640795 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May (L) greets Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (R) at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 11 June 2019. EPA-EFE/NEIL HALL ORG XMIT: NGH26BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JUNE 11: The tourist boat the Mermaid is raised from the Danube river on June 11, 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. At least 20 people died in the May 29 accident when a larger sightseeing vessel collided with the Mermaid, a small boat carrying mostly South Korean tourists, on the Danube river. Crews are searching for seven South Koreans and the boat's Hungarian captain. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 775354385 ORIG FILE ID: 1149033698Indonesian soldiers from the Raider 112 infantry battalion march with various weaponry during training at their base in Banda Aceh on June 11, 2019. (Photo by CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN / AFP)CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8SNepa07641012 Britain's Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge greets well-wishers as she visits the Market Square in Keswick, Cumbria, Britain, 11 June 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a visit to Cumbria county. EPA-EFE/ROBERT PERRY ORG XMIT: GLG04epa07640852 A firefighter tries to extinguish a fire inside a tree during a forest fire in El Perello, Catalonia, Spain, 11 June 2019. The fire, now under control, has burnt a total of 200 hectares throughout the night. EPA-EFE/JAUME SELLART ORG XMIT: GRAFCAT437
TOPSHOT - This picture shows the Yasser Arafat Mosque at sunrise in the West Bank City of Nablus, on June 11, 2019. (Photo by Jaafar ASHTIYEH / AFP)JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HE8I1epa07640347 Palestinians inspect a house, which was demolished by the Israeli army in the West Bank city of Hebron, 11 June 2019. The house which is located in H2 area was demolished for allegedly not having the permits to be built. EPA-EFE/ABED AL HASHLAMOUN ORG XMIT: HEB 02
TOPSHOT - Co-workers of paramedic Mohammed al-Jdaili, who succumbed to his wounds a month after being shot during clashes along the Gaza border, mourn during his funeral in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on June 11, 2019. - The Palestinian Red Crescent organisation said in a statement that 36-year-old Jdaili had been hit in the face by a rubber-coated bullet "while performing his humanitarian duties" in northern Gaza on May 3. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP)SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images ORG XMIT: 1497 ORIG FILE ID: AFP_1HF0F5
A dressed up protester knees next to German police during a protest of the "Extinction rebellion" (XR) Berlin group who chained themselves to a fence of the Chancellery to urge the government to declare a climate emergency on June 11, 2019 in Berlin. - XR uses non-violent civil disobedience to put pressure on media and governments world wide to address the multiple ecological crises we are facing (Photo by Paul Zinken / DPA / AFP) / Germany OUTPAUL ZINKEN/AFP/Getty Images ORIG FILE ID: 589499823epa07641049 Visitors attend the 96th Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy, 11 June 2019. The event, which showcases men's clothing and accessory collections, runs from 11 to 14 June. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO GIOVANNINI

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