Swimmer Dies After Medical Incident at Western Washington's Rec Center Pool

First responders were called to Western Washington's Wade King Student Recreation Center Friday after receiving a report of a possible drowning at the facility. 

According to Whatcom News, WWU issued an advisory around 1:30 p.m. Friday that a swimmer had been found unresponsive in the Wade King pool, and that Bellingham Fire Department paramedics were unable to revive the swimmer. 

Late, WWU Office of University Communications assistant director John Thompson told Whatcom via email that the swimmer was not found underwater, as previously reported. 

"She began to have distress at the side of he pool and was pulled out by the lifeguards. She became unresponsive as the paramedics were on the way," Thompson said. 

This is the second reported drowning death at the WWU student recreation center since it was built in 2003. The first occurred in January 2019 when a 23-year-old man was discovered unresponsive in a hot tub. The Whatcom County Medical Examiner determined the man passed away in a natural manner while in the hot tub, “most likely from a cardiac rhythm abnormality following a strenuous workout,” reported the Western Front.