Kate Kaufling, member of Kentucky's dance team, dead at 20 after yearlong cancer battle

Tragedy struck Kentucky athletics this week as Kate Kaufling, member of the UK dance team and a 20-year-old student at the school, passed away on Sunday.

According to a release from the school website, Kentucky announced Kaufling’s passing after a fight with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. Her twin sister, Abbey Kaufling, is also on the dance team, and both girls joined the team in the fall of 2023.

Dance team head coach Dawn Walters provided the following statement on the unfortunate news as part of the UK release:

“Kate was a joy to coach and to be around. Her smile could light up a room and she was beloved by all of her UKDT teammates. We are all saddened by Kate’s passing. We will remember her for the tough battle she fought with osteosarcoma over the past year. She was brave until the very end and all of us can draw inspiration from the courageous battle that she fought. Our thoughts, prayers and love are with the Kaufling family.”

The University of Kentucky’s Executive Associate Athletics Director, Sandy Bell, also commented on the passing of Kaufling:

“In addition to being a talented dancer, Kate was also an amazing student, in the College of Nursing, who took her academics very seriously. Even during her cancer treatments, Kate kept up with her studies, setting an amazing example for her teammates. Kate was beloved by all who knew her and she will be deeply missed. On behalf of UK Athletics, we send our deepest sympathies to Holly, Steve, Abbey and the entire Kaufling family.”

According to another report from TMZ, a GoFundMe has been setup for the family and has already raised nearly $100,000.

“A GoFundMe was launched for Kate’s parents to help with the cost of medical treatments and travel expenses to and from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. As of Wednesday, over $97k had been raised, including $1k from the 360 Dance Studio in Louisville,” wrote TMZ.

Per KSR’s Tyler Thompson, though, Kaufling’s GoFundMe has been in existence since last summer:

“When the news of Kaufling’s diagnosis broke last summer, the Big Blue Nation rallied around the 19-year-old Louisville native, an aspiring nurse who danced for the Cats with her twin sister Abbey. The ‘Kate’s Krew’ GoFundMe raised over $95,000 for Kaufling’s medical and travel expenses to and from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where, in January, she rang the bell to mark the end of her chemotherapy treatments. The ‘Kate’s Krew’ Facebook group continued their support once the disease returned.”

A sad story for the UK Athletics community.