Three killed in a small-plane crash were Swarthmore alumni, college says

Swarthmore College officials confirmed on Monday that three of six people killed in a small-plane crash Saturday in New York state were alumni of the private college in Delaware County.

Swarthmore identified those three victims as Alexia Couyutas Duarte, class of 2023; Jared Groff, class of 2022; and Jared’s father, Michael Groff, class of 1988.

Also killed in the crash were Jared’s mother, Joy Saini; his sister, Karenna Groff; and her partner, James Santoro, Swarthmore officials said.

All six were on board Michael Groff’s private twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B when it crashed shortly after noon Saturday roughly 10 miles south of the Columbia County Airport near the state border with Massachusetts. There were no survivors.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The close-knit family of physicians and distinguished student-athletes were on a trip to the Catskills for a birthday celebration and the Passover holiday.

“With profound sadness, we are writing to share that our community lost several members of its extended family this past weekend,” Val Smith, Swarthmore’s president, and Stephanie Ives, vice president for student affairs, said in the statement posted Monday.

“In the face of such devastating news, we recognize and celebrate all that these extraordinary individuals meant to us, as well as support those who knew, mentored, and loved them,” the statement said.

Alexia Couyutas Duarte was described by Swarthmore as a first-generation American who graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science.

After graduating, Duarte worked as a legal intake specialist at the Rian Immigrant Center in Boston, Swarthmore said. Most recently, she worked as a paralegal in the pro bono initiative unit at MetroWest Legal Services in Massachusetts. She had planned to attend Harvard Law School this fall.

The Rian Immigrant Center said it was “devastated” by the news of Duarte’s death.

“The staff and clients of Rian will never forget Alexia’s intelligence, poise, warmth, and the kindness she showed to us all. We will miss her immensely,” the center said in a Facebook post Monday.

Duarte’s survivors include her sister, Ariana Couyutas Duarte, Swarthmore class of 2026, who was studying abroad when the crash occurred, Swarthmore said.

Jared Groff, originally from Weston, Mass., graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science, Swarthmore said.

Groff was a four-year member of the men’s basketball team and contributed to squads that won a Centennial Conference championship and reached the NCAA Division III National Championship game for the first time in the program’s history, the school said. He most recently worked as a paralegal at DW Partners in New York and planned to attend law school this fall.

Michael Groff was a neurosurgeon and the executive medical director of neuroscience at Rochester Regional Health, Swarthmore said.

His wife, Joy, was a pelvic surgeon and founder of Boston Pelvic Health and Wellness. They met while training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Swarthmore said.

Their survivors include their daughter, Anika, who was recently admitted to Swarthmore’s class of 2029, the college said.

Smith and Ives said that students can reach out for counseling and psychological service at the interfaith center and that deans in the Division of Student Affairs are available for support. Faculty and staff can access support through the college’s employee assistance program.

Karenna Groff was an All-American soccer player at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and named the 2022 NCAA woman of the year, a prestigious award honoring on- and off-field accomplishments. James Santoro, her boyfriend, also was an MIT graduate.

“Karenna was the face of MIT Women’s Soccer during her time at MIT and in many ways is still the best example of a true MIT student-athlete — successful on the field, successful in the classroom and a beloved teammate,“ Martin Desmarais, head coach of women’s soccer at MIT, said in a statement.

Sarah McDonnell, a spokesperson for MIT, confirmed in an email that Karenna Groff earned a bachelor’s degree in biological engineering in 2022 and then a master’s degree in the same field the following year.

 Michael Groff, her father, was pursuing an executive MBA at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, McDonnell said.

James Santoro earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2022, McDonnell said.

After they both graduated from MIT, Groff and Santoro moved to Manhattan, where Groff enrolled at the Grossman School of Medicine at New York University and Santoro worked as an investment associate for Silver Point, a hedge fund based in Greenwich, Conn.

Steve Ritea, a spokesperson for the Grossman School of Medicine, said in an emailed statement that Groff was a second-year student who had been accepted to train in the neurosurgery program.

“She had already distinguished herself as a rising star inside and outside the classroom, with limitless possibilities on the horizon,” Ritea said.

“Karenna demonstrated exceptional skill and unwavering passion towards the care of patients and the mission of our institution. We will remember her for her warmth, her grace, her kindness, her outstanding accomplishments, and the pure joy she brought to our community,” Ritea said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Correction: The location of Alexia Couyutas Duarte’s work was misstated in this article.