Despite Life-Altering Tragedies, Oscar Nävarp Perseveres
11/23/2020 3:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer
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South Orange, N.J. – A difficult year for most, 2020 has been especially hard on Oscar Navarp.
A senior on the Seton Hall men's soccer team, Nävarp traveled all the way from Falkenberg, Sweden to pursue soccer and a higher education in the United States.
Around the time of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and cancellation of all spring athletic activities, Nävarp's grandfather and role model, Sten-Börje, passed away. Shortly thereafter, Oscar's younger brother, Gustaf, unexpectedly died at only 20 years old.
Nävarp, left, with brother, Gustav
As if things could not get any worse, about two months after the passing of his brother, Nävarp's family home in Sweden was destroyed in a fire. Lost within the flames were many of the remaining belongings and memories of Gustaf.
A former teammate at Seton Hall, David Arvidsson, helped to spread awareness of the life-altering events and set up a fundraiser to help the family through the unimaginably difficult process. In total, those within the Seton Hall community, former teammates, friends and family helped to raise over 200,000 Swedish Krona (about 20,000 USD) for Oscar and his parents, Rikard and Sofia.
Despite the major tragedies at home in Sweden and the uncertainty of a soccer season amid a global pandemic, Nävarp returned to South Orange to finish up his bachelor's degree in Finance and IT. With only the fall semester left to complete his degree, Nävarp knew finishing his education was something his brother would have wanted.
Upon his return to the Seton Hall campus, Nävarp was honored as men's soccer's Teammate of the Year as part of Seton Hall Athletics' annual SHUCademy Awards for his perseverance and hard work both on and off the soccer field. For Head Coach Andreas Lindberg, the honor could not have gone to a more deserving individual.
"Since the day Oscar stepped on campus, he has been a tremendous leader for our team," Lindberg said. "Oscar has been an inspiration for us all."
After the postponement of the fall sports competition, it became evident that Nävarp would not have a chance to compete during his senior season or be honored with a traditional "Senior Night". However, beloved by his teammates, coaching staff and the entirety of the Seton Hall community, the men's soccer team held one last intrasquad scrimmage in Nävarp's honor. There, he was applauded by his teammates and coaches for being an exemplary student-athlete and fantastic representative of the program.
"Oscar and his family have gone through more hardship in one year than some go through in a lifetime. Despite everything that has happened, Oscar has continued to have a positive attitude. If Oscar can have a good attitude, then the rest of us have nothing to complain about. We will miss his presence and leadership tremendously," Lindberg said.
