UNI Swimmer’s Funeral and Visitation Scheduled This Week
Last Thursday, UNI Athletics announced that soon-to-be junior on the swimming and diving team, Lily Ernst, passed away.
Visitation and funeral services for the Iowa City West High School alum have now been scheduled for this week. The visitation will take place tomorrow, August 2, at West High from 4-7 PM.
The funeral service is also set to be at West High at 11 AM the following day, Wednesday.
Lily was just 20 years old when she passed away last week. During her time at UNI, she was a strong swimmer and a key piece to the Panthers' efforts. She earned a position on the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) First Team as a freshman when she placed second in the 200-yard butterfly at the MVC Championships in 2021. Last season, the Iowa City native found herself a spot in the record books, swimming the 200-yard butterfly in a time of 2:02.97 to set a school record.
Her obituary says this of her: "Lily was an amazing young woman with the heart of a champion, a driven personality, and a passion for perfection. She was a strong advocate for women's rights and human rights. Lily was also a champion of the underdog, and lifting others up. She volunteered for the food bank and volunteered to teach young children to swim. Lily held a very competitive edge that allowed her to succeed at everything she put her mind to. Her exceptionally high standards allowed her to focus that drive into setting records at West High and at UNI, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA in Social Work and Mental Health."
It adds that memorial contributions in her honor can be donated to the Lily Ernst Memorial Fund. The fund will go towards helping "Others through their battles with mental health and animal shelter/rescue in honor of all her puppies, but especially her very own dog Wilson, whom Lily rescued from a shelter."