A 22-year-old University of Nebraska Omaha basketball player drowned in the Blackridge Reservoir in Utah over the weekend.
Police said they responded to a call at 5:40 p.m. on Saturday evening regarding two people struggling in the reservoir in Herriman, Utah.
Sa Mafutaga, 21, made it to the shore before going back into the reservoir to try and help Deng Mayar, 22. After Mafutaga was unable to help Mayar, bystanders entered the water to rescue him. Mafutaga was transported to a hospital and is expected to recover.
Police said Mayar went underwater about 35 feet from the shore. Authorities used a submersible to conduct an hourslong search for him. His body was recovered by a diving team at 11 p.m., and he was pronounced dead.
Mayar, a 6-foot-7-inch forward from Utah, played at the University of North Dakota before joining the Omaha men’s team. Chris Crutchfield, the Omaha men’s basketball head coach, said in a statement that the program is “devastated” over the 22-year-old’s death.
“After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer,” Crutchfield said. “Deng was a joy to be around and made our culture better. We will miss him greatly. [My wife] Jodi and I, along with our entire program, send our hearts and prayers to Deng’s family, friends and teammates.”
Mayar was studying in the business administration graduate program in Omaha and leaves behind his parents and six siblings.
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Blackridge Reservoir closed after Mayar’s drowning, but reopened Monday morning. According to Herriman, Utah’s website, the reservoir has no lifeguard on duty, but visitors can paddleboard and kayak there after completing a mandatory mussel-aware boater course.
In June 2016, a 31-year-old man drowned in the reservoir — the third drowning there since it opened in 2009, according to KSL News Utah. The outlet reported that the reservoir is 15 feet deep in some areas.
The city of Herriman, Utah, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
