Hobart Runner Lauren Romeo Dies of Sudden Illness


As many people celebrated to bring in the new year, Hobart High School senior and 3-sport athlete, Lauren Romeo, died in a Chicago children's hospital on January 1st due to a sudden, aggressive illness, according to The Times of Northwest Indiana. The senior's health declined in a span of 48-hours, and the cause of it all is currently unknown.

In response to this tragedy, we offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lauren and the Hobart High School community. 

During the fall, Lauren split her time between being captain of the soccer team and running cross country. She played soccer all four years, but the 2019-2020 cross country season was her first. Lauren was one of two girls on her team to qualify for the 2019 New Prairie Semi-State with a time of 21:40.70. 

At Semi-State, Lauren placed 127th earning a personal record, 21:40.30, which beat her previous time set at regionals by milliseconds. 

Lauren had been running track since she was a sophomore. She was a middle-distance runner participating in events such as the 4x800 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, the 800 meter run, and the 400 meter dash. 

In the 400 meter dash, her personal record was set at the 2018 Highland at Hobart outdoor meet at 1:05. She held a personal record of 2:32.59 in the 800 meter run set at the 2019 West Lafayette Individuals indoor meet. At the 2019 IHSAA Lowell Sectionals, she was milliseconds away from beating this record with a time of 2:32.89. 

Among her athletic accomplishments, Lauren received the honor of First Team Academic All-State. She is remembered as being driven, a team player, and a leader. Teammates, family, and friends celebrated the life of this scholar and athlete during a service on Saturday. 

To help Lauren's family and cover the costs of the funeral service, a GoFundMe page has been created with currently over $17,000 in donations. Her family also wishes that instead of flowers, memorial contributions should be donated to the Hobart Athletic Department in Lauren's honor.