Local News
UNC swimmer showing steady improvement
Sophomore Allison Barnes experienced an apparent severe hyperthermic episode at swim practice Sept. 9, university officials said. Her coaches called 911, and Barnes was taken to UNC Hospitals.
Posted — Updated
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill swimmer who was hospitalized last week is showing steady improvement, a UNC doctor said Tuesday.
Sophomore Allison Barnes experienced an apparent severe hyperthermic episode at swim practice Sept. 9, university officials said. Her coaches called 911, and Barnes was taken to UNC Hospitals.
Dr. Thomas Brickner, of UNC's sports medicine department, said in a statement that Barnes has “shown steady improvement over the last 48 hours and has been upgraded to stable condition.”
Barnes has been transferred out of the intensive care unit, but will remain hospitalized for ongoing medical care.
“Allison is awake, responsive and ambulatory with assistance,” Brickner said.
Barnes is a member of UNC's women's swimming and diving teams and earned her first varsity letter competing in distance freestyle events during the past academic year.
Barnes' older sister, Amanda, graduated from UNC in 2008 and played on the lacrosse team.
Keith and JoEllen Barnes thanked "all of the athletic family here at UNC" – from the university chancellor and athletic director to the swimming and lacrosse head and assistant coaches – "for their continued support during this challenging time."
Barnes is from Bel Air, Md., and graduated from C. Milton Wright High School.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
