3 Wyoming swim team members killed in crash in Colorado, officials say

2 other members of the swim team were injured in the crash

Three members University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed, and two others were injured in a crash on a highway in Colorado near the state border Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The deceased victims were only identified as a woman, 18, and two men, ages 21 and 22, the Colorado State Patrol said in a release, according to FOX 31 Denver. The three were all on the Wyoming swim team but were not traveling for a university function.

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NCAA flags

A general view of NCAA pool flags. (Scott Taetsch/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Two other men, ages 20 and 21, were injured in the crash. They were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash occurred around 2:44 p.m. local time on U.S. 287 near the Wyoming-Colorado state line. Officials said an SUV veered from the southbound lanes onto the northbound lanes and rolled down an embankment. Two people were ejected from the vehicle.

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Dave Denniston, the head coach of the Wyoming swim team, told SwimSwam he was "devastated" to hear about the crash and the deaths of his players.

Dave Denniston in 2014

Dave Denniston told SwimSwam he was "devastated." (AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

"We are heartsick at the news of this terrible tragedy for our university, our state, our student-athlete community and, most importantly, the families and friends of these young people," University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel said in a statement. "Words are insufficient to express our sadness."

Most of the Wyoming women’s swim team was in Houston for the Mountain West Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

"My thoughts and prayers are with our swimming and diving student-athletes, coaches, families and friends," Wyoming athletics director Tom Burman said. "It is difficult to lose members of our University of Wyoming family, and we mourn the loss of these student-athletes. We have counseling services available to our student-athletes and coaches in our time of need."

Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

Authored by Ryan Gaydos via FoxNews February 23rd 2024