Brandeis Department of Athletics Department Administrator Vanessa Cox was killed in a car accident on Thursday night in New Hampshire. She was 31.

According to a CBS article published Friday, Cox and a friend were involved in a collision on Route 16 in Milton, N.H.. The accident was caused when a Jeep Liberty swerved into oncoming traffic, striking a Subaru Outback. Both drivers were killed in the collision, and Cox, a passenger in the Subaru, sustained critical injuries.

Cox passed away at Maine Medical Center in Portland shortly after the accident, according to the article. The article also noted that two additional passengers—one from each car—are in stable condition.

The University’s Office of Communications shared the news with the Brandeis community in an email on Friday afternoon.

“We are all shocked and saddened by this news. Vanessa was such a vital member of the Brandeis family,” director of athletics and associate vice president of health and wellness Sheryl Sousa ’90 wrote in the email.

Cox was “instrumental in the role of student-athlete recruitment for Brandeis as well as a key organizer for the Friends of Brandeis Athletics Hall of Fame ceremonies,” the email read.

According to the email, Cox—a 2005 University of Vermont graduate—joined the Brandeis Athletics Department in October 2011 and also worked as the head coach of the women’s club lacrosse team. Cox competed for the Canadian National Women’s Lacrosse Team in the 2009 and 2013 Lacrosse World Cups.

Cox also served as the women’s lacrosse coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for four seasons and was named the The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2008, the email noted.

The University will also be providing support and grief counseling services through the Psychological Counseling Center and the Multifaith Chaplaincy.

According to the Brandeis Athletics website, a mass for Cox was held at Grace Episcopal Church at 76 Eldredge St. in Newton Corner on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, Cox's family requests a donation be made in her memory to the Vanessa Cox Memorial Fund at Angell Animal Medical Center.