The University of Oregon has confirmed that tennis player Alex Rovello died this weekend after a diving accident at Tamolitch Falls in the Willamette National Forest.
Friends and bystanders reportedly tried to rescue Rovello after he failed to surface in the Blue Pool at the base off the falls. They failed to do so however due to the depth of the pool and the water being 37-degrees according to the Associated Press.
Rovello, a Portland native, had a 21-8 match record this past season as a No. 3 and No. 4 singles player according to the Associated Press. He and partner Daan Massland won 16 doubles matches this season as well.
"Alex was so much more than a dedicated and exemplary student-athlete at the University of Oregon," Director of Athletics Rob Mullens said on Oregon's website. "He was an amazing person and teammate and his spirit will live on forever with all of us who were fortunate enough to have known him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, Geri and Jim Rovello, and to the entire family."
An unnamed witness had to run more than two miles to get cell service to call 911. Dive teams and local police recovered Rovello's body more than 30 feet from the surface of the pool according to KGW News.
The swimming hole is located on Highway 126, approximately two miles north of Trail Bridge Campground.
Police told KGW News that alcohol was "not a factor" in the drowning.
"He was a son, a friend, a teammate, a leader, whose warm personality brought everyone together and whose contributions to the extended Oregon community will resonate long after today," said Mullens on the Oregon website. "On behalf of the UO family, we extend our sympathies to Alex's family, and we will honor his memory each and every day."
Rovello's family stated that a memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday, May 18.
Rovello became the second Oregon athlete to drown in the past five years. Back in 2008, Oregon football player Todd Lamar Doxey died after a swimming accident on the McKenzie River.
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