Wofford player Jeremiah Tate drowns during swim in lake

Wofford player Jeremiah Tate drowns during swim in lake

Published Jun. 22, 2015 9:30 p.m. ET

 

A local sheriff's office and school officials say Wofford basketball player Jeremiah Tate has drowned near the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

A York County, South Carolina, sheriff's report states Tate and another man jumped from a bridge to swim in Lake Wylie. The man, Samuel Williams of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, told authorities Tate ''had trouble swimming and kept sinking'' when he tried to help.

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Williams swam to shore, found a witness there fishing and used the person's phone to call authorities, who found Tate's body below the bridge early Monday.

In a release, the York County coroner's office identified Tate and Williams, both 19, as YMCA camp counselors.

Team spokesman Kyle Mattracion says Tate's mother notified a coach of the incident.

A junior who played in 13 games, Tate was born in Germany but listed Columbia, South Carolina, as his hometown.

In a statement, Wofford athletic director Richard Johnson said the school is ''devastated and saddened'' by Tate's death.

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