22-Year-Old Student-Athlete Dies in Drowning Incident

Deng Mayar, a student-athlete who played basketball at University of Nebraska, died after a drowning incident on Saturday, Aug. 16. He was 22 years old.

Mayar was reportedly swimming with 21-year-old Sa Mafutaga at Blackridge Reserve in Utah that night before the Herriman Police Department was called just before 6 p.m. local time, according to ABC affiliate KETV and Fox 13.

The authorities were called to the reservoir to respond to two people in distress. Mafutaga was able to get out of the water, but noticed that Mayar was still struggling. Per the reports, he and other people in the area attempted to help him, but weren’t able to.

KETV reported that the Unified Fire Authority, South Jordan Fire Department Water Rescue Teams and the Utah Highway Patrol Dive Team all searched for Mayar.

The Utah Highway Patrol’s submersible robot found Mayar’s body at 10:40 p.m. local time after hours of searching, according to KETV, which noted that divers recovered him at 11 p.m.

PEOPLE has contacted the Herriman Police Department for additional details.

On Sunday, Aug. 17, the day after Mayar’s death, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and Omaha Athletics released a statement on Instagram.

“The University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha Athletics and our program mourn the tragic passing of Deng Mayar. He was 22 years old,” the post read.

The school shared a full statement on its website, which included sentiments from the athletics staff and Omaha men’s basketball head coach.

“We are devastated to learn of Deng’s passing. On behalf of our university community, our love and sincere condolences are with his family during this difficult time,” University of Nebraska at Omaha Chancellor Joanne Li and Director of Athletics Adrian Dowell said in a statement.

They added, “We also wish his friends and teammates in Omaha, North Dakota, and Salt Lake City family, peace as they process this tragic loss.”

In head coach Chris Crutchfield’s statement, he remembered Mayar’s talents on the court.

“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” he said. “After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer.”

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He added, “Deng was a joy to be around and made our culture better. We will miss him greatly,” and said he and his wife, as well as the “entire program,” “send our hearts and prayers to Deng’s family, friends and teammates.”

Mayar was a Omaha forward, who transferred from North Dakota this offseason. He was raised in Salt Lake City.