By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Lisa Panici only attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for a semester. But her influence on students and faculty will be felt for years to come.
Panici, an athlete, was nicknamed “the irresistible force” by coaches and teammates during her freshman year. She played on the Warhawk volleyball team in fall 2010, but had to bow out of her scholastic and athletic pursuits late in the semester because of a startling discovery.
After experiencing severe headaches, Panici underwent testing and was diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer after the discovery of a lemon-sized tumor in her head. She died Dec. 26 at age 20.
Gone all too soon, but definitely not forgotten, staff and students throughout UW-Whitewater have been banding together to hold an event that will benefit the Lisa Panici Scholarship, a fund created by Panici’s parents, Mike and Mary Panici to honor the strength and determination of the one-time biology major.
The end result of UW-Whitewater’s efforts to support the scholarship is the Nearly Naked Mile, a run that will be 1 to 2 miles in length throughout the trails of the UW-Whitewater campus. It has been scheduled for next Thursday, April 11.
Stacy Boudreau, head volleyball coach at UW-Whitewater, is among the people who helped plan the upcoming benefit on campus. She still fondly recalls her interactions with Panici, a native of Peotone, Ill.
“She was just an outstanding athlete,” said Boudreau, who had a role in recruiting Panici to UW-Whitewater in 2010. “She was a great player, and everyone loved her.”
Boudreau readily admits that Panici’s abrupt departure left a void that still lingers. But there were positives in the aftermath of the emergency room visits and surgeries that offered little more than a grim prognosis.
Because of the severity of her cancer, Panici was not expected to live more than a year. As it turned out, she lived two years after the initial discovery – a reality that could, in part, be attributed to Panici’s fighting spirit.
“She had the most amazing, positive outlook,” Boudreau said. “She continued to be a part of our program after she left the campus, and she still is a part of our program. She was just an incredible person.”
In addition to spreading joy with great abundance, Panici had a number of notable accomplishments in her short life. Athletically, she participated in the Ultimate Volleyball Club, Chicago Magic Soccer Club and the Old Mill Soccer Association.
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Nearly Naked Mile run to support Lisa Panici scholarship
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11
WHERE: trails throughout the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus, 800 W. Main St.
COST: $10 in advance, $12 at the event; includes a T-shirt
INFO: www.uwwsports.com
