The UMass Lowell Athletics community is mourning the loss of men’s soccer goalkeeper Tobias “Toby” Forsythe, who tragically passed away in a car accident on Sunday in his home state of Ohio.

“Our entire athletics department is heartbroken by Toby’s passing,” said Director of Athletics Lynn Coutts. “Although Toby’s time as a River Hawk was cut far too short, he left a meaningful impact and will always be remembered as a cherished member of our UMass Lowell family. We send our deepest sympathies to his family and loved ones, and we are committed to supporting our student-athletes and staff as we mourn this tremendous loss together.”

Forsythe was a member of the men’s soccer program at Ashland University for two seasons before transferring to Shawnee State, where he started all 17 games during the 2025 season before joining the River Hawks for the 2026 spring season. Off the pitch, he was an economics major in UMass Lowell’s College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

“Today, our River Hawk team is grieving the loss of one of our own,” said UML head coach Kyle Zenoni. “Toby was everything you hope for in a student-athlete and an even better person. He was humble, honest, selfless and the definition of hard work. Our hearts are with Toby’s family, friends, teammates and everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. We will forever be grateful that Toby was part of our River Hawk family and we will honor his memory by carrying forward the example he set.”

Counseling services are being made available to assist those who need them during this time of unimaginable loss. Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed and will be announced by the Forsythe family at a later date.

Men’s hockey

The UMass Lowell hockey team had 25 players named to the 2025-26 Hockey East All-Academic Team, giving the River Hawks a tie for the league’s top spot.

To be eligible, student-athletes must attain a 3.0 GPA or higher. UML ties Merrimack for the conference lead.

Sophomore Dominick Rivelli (Highland Park, Ill.) led the way for the River Hawks, earning Hockey East All-Academic All-Star Team honors for compiling the highest GPA at his position.

Graduate student TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and senior Jack Collins (Canton, N.Y.) earned the Distinguished Scholar title, which is given to a student-athlete that has qualified for the All-Academic team in each of four seasons of varsity play.

Two River Hawks joined the Hockey East All-Academic team for the third time in juniors Sean Kilcullen (Kensington, Md.) and Jaiden Moriello (Saugus).

Six players collected their second All-Academic honors: senior Connor Eddy (Victoria, B.C.), junior Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) and sophomores Daniel Buchbinder (Clarence Center, N.Y), Jacob MacDonald (Fort Worth, Texas), Lee Parks (Ottawa, Ontario) and Rivelli.

Rounding out the list of honorees are the 15 Hockey East All-Academic first-timers.

That list consists of graduate student Jay Ahearn (Staten Island, N.Y.), senior Samuel Richard (Ste-Catherine, Quebec), sophomores Libor Nemec (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Dominic Payne (North Vancouver, B.C.), as well as freshmen David Adaszynski (Burnaby, B.C.), August Classon (Stockholm, Sweden), Austin Elliott (Strathmore Alberta), Niko Goich (Homer Glen, Ill.), James Johnson (Ajax, Ontario), Ryan Kroll (Plainville, Ill.), Tnias Mathurin (Ajax, Ontario), Nate Misskey (Melfort, SK), Josh Mori (Richmond, B.C.), Luke Shipley (Powell River, B.C.) and Cole Lonsdale (Mississauga, Ontario).