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Omaha’s male basketball player Deng Mayar died on Saturday in a drowning incident, the school announced on Sunday. He was 22 years old.
The incident occurred at the Blackridge tank in Herriman, Utah on Saturday, according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City. Mayar and his Mafotaga, 21, struggled in the water. Mafutaga was able to reach the shore with the help of certain passers -by and tried to go to Mayar but could not reach it. Emergency staff were called to the scene.
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The Dakota striker North Deng Mayar (5) pushes the Iowa Payton Sandfort (20) striker away while going to the basket during a university basketball match between the Dakota of North Fighting Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 07, 2023, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena at Iowa City, IA. (Keith Gillett / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Emergency officials could not find him for hours before using a submersible robot to locate his body, depending on the point of sale. Mafotaga was taken to the hospital but was to recover.
“The whole of our program is devastated to learn the death of Deng,” said Omaha head coach Chris Crutchfield, in a statement. “After competing against him for two years, we were delighted to add it to our team and he made huge progress this summer. Deng was a joy to be there and improved our culture.
“We will miss a lot. Jodi and I, with our entire program, send our hearts and our prayers to the family, friends and teammates.”
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Mayar was transferred to Omaha after spending two seasons in the North Dakota.
“Our hearts are shattered to hear the new tragic of Deng’s death,” said North Dakota head coach Paul Sather, in a statement. “She was a wonderful person with a heart the size of a gym. Our thoughts are with his parents and family, as well as all his teammates from Und and Uno.
November 7, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, United States; The Northern Dakota fighting the Hawks striker Deng Mayar (5 years old) and the Iowa Hawkeyes Ben Krikke (23) striker fights for the first half in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Jeffrey Becker / USA TODAY SPORTS)
“As competitive as he was on the ground, he had a gentle nature and a nice soul out of the field. Deng will miss a lot to all those who knew and loved him.”
