University of Nebraska Omaha basketball player Deng Mayar drowned over the weekend, police in Utah said.
Herriman police said Mayar died at Blackridge Reservoir after going underwater about 35 yards from shore around 5:40 p.m. on Saturday. The swimming lake is located about 28 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Sa Mafutaga, a second person who was struggling in the water with Mayar, was able to make it to shore. Mafutaga returned to the water to try and save Mayar and needed to be rescued by bystanders. Mafutaga was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital, where he is expected to survive.
After several hours of searching, Mayar’s body was recovered by divers around 11 p.m. and he was pronounced dead.
Mayar, 22, was a graduate student who transferred to Nebraska Omaha after two seasons with rival North Dakota, where he appeared in 42 games and averaged averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game over two seasons.
“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” Nebraska Omaha head coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement. “After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer. Deng was a joy to be around and made our culture better. We will miss him greatly. Jodi and I, along with our entire program, send our hearts and prayers to Deng’s family, friends and teammates.”
Mayar, who was raised in Salt Lake City, also went by the last name Ador, Herriman police said. He is survived by his parents and six siblings, according to his Nebraska Omaha profile page.
With News Wire Services
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