TEMPE, Ariz. — James Rigg, a graduate of Fairview High School who swam for the University of Wyoming before transferring to Arizona State University, was found dead after drowning in a Sun Devils campus pool Monday morning. He was 22.
Arizona State police say Rigg and a male friend jumped a fence about 1:30 a.m. Monday at the Mona Plummer Aquatic Complex and then had a contest to see who could swim the farthest underwater. The pool is 18 feet deep and was not lit at the time. Authorities suspect alcohol was involved.
“When (Andrew) Scheneller came up, he noticed Rigg was not swimming,” ASU Police Commander James Hardina told the New Times. “He thought Rigg got out of the pool and was hiding, so he got out and looked around for him. Then, he noticed his friend had sunk to the bottom of the pool.”
Police said Scheneller pulled Rigg out of the water and started giving him CPR before calling 911. Rigg was taken to Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be an accidental drowning.
A native of Niwot, Rigg, who swam for Arizona State in the 2009-10 season, was majoring in electrical engineering and expected to graduate in December.
“I only had the pleasure of coaching James for a few short years, but in that time I saw a young man develop that knew how to squeeze the most out of life,” former Sun Devils coach Simon Percy said. “James was a true Sun Devil.”
