The Manhasset community was shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Diane Whipple, a former Manhasset resident and outstanding athlete at Manhasset High School.

Diane, who had celebrated her 33rd birthday last week, was reportedly returning home from coaching her women's lacrosse team at St. Mary's College in Morage, CA, when she was met by two dogs who viciously and fatally attacked her at the door of her apartment. Apartment neighbors owned the "dangerous mix" of English mastiff and Presa Canaria, a breed of cattle dog from the Canary Islands.

Especially shocked to learn of the news were fellow teammates and classmates. Diane was a 1986 graduate of Manhasset High School and integral part of the first State Championship girls' lacrosse team. She was the second All-American female to be named in the school. Diane was known not only for her strong skill on the lacrosse field, but also for her speed, endurance and gracefulness and diligence and determination.

"She would practice, practice and practice more," said her former high school coach Pam Monfort McDonough. "She would take a bucket of balls and shoot at the net after a three-hour practice until she reached the perfection she wanted. She would give a second and third effort to a poorly passed ball and she had an unrelenting running ability."

Diane also found satisfaction in working with the younger children on Saturday mornings - which would prove to be the start of the PBC girls' lacrosse. She would almost mimic her daily practices with her "teammate coaches." A 1999 graduate, Meredith Trufelli, remembered Diane for introducing her to the sport. She looked up to Diane as her mentor and was devastated by the loss.

Upon her graduation from Manhasset, Diane went to Penn State on a lacrosse scholarship. It was there, too, that she was an outstanding player, leading her team to national titles in 1987 and again in 1989. Her senior year, she was named the Top Female Athlete for Penn State and the NCAA female Athlete of the Year. Her coach at Penn State, Sue Sheetz, recently recognized Diane in her acceptance speech during her induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Diane was the youngest player invited to play on the US Women's Squad of the United States Women's Lacrosse Association, where she was part of international competition.

After the great "run" at Penn State, Diane decided to go to California to pursue her dream of competing in the Olympics, and selected a personal coach in the San Francisco area. As time developed, and after a medical setback, she changed her dreams and began running longer distances, most recently, marathons. On her birthday, she was overjoyed to have placed in the San Diego marathon well enough to be invited to the Boston marathon this spring. While pursuing that personal goal, she never gave up her passion for lacrosse. She was instrumental in bringing lacrosse to California, first as a high school coach, then as a college coach, most recently as a Division 1 coach. The strong developmental goal, begun when working with the little girls every Saturday morning, was evident in her quest to bring a young, lesser skilled team, willing to learn, to a Division 1 status. They were due to have their first season game next month.

Personally, Diane continued her fun loving personality. She always had dimples and a twinkle in her eyes. Although she was very private, she was an extremely caring individual. "She never missed a birthday or Christmas," said Coach Monfort. "She always wrote what she was doing, and how her grandparents were." Her closest friends were devastated by the loss. Julie Tortolani, who was with Diane just two weeks earlier, talking about lacrosse and planning to return for their class reunion, tragically watched the developing news on TV. Cheri DiCerbo, a lifelong friend, returned home from the Super Bowl, when she heard the news and could not believe the tragedy. She immediately flew to California to be with Diane's mother and team members. "I still can't believe it," says Cheri. "We were like sisters, and I can't believe she won't be there to grow old together."

Diane is survived by her mother, Penny; loving grandparents Dr. Ralph and Joan Whipple and Aunt Roberta, all of Connecticut; her brother Colin, a senior at Texas; her aunt Patricia of Roslyn, and uncles, Chip in Colorado and Rick of New Jersey. Her two aunts, Lynn and Meg, and four nephews and three nieces also survive her.

A memorial service will be held here in Manhasset on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Manhasset on Northern Boulevard.