Former Xavier University men’s soccer standout Derrick Otim passed away over the weekend in a swimming accident, the Xavier Athletics Department announced on Sunday. 

Otim was a four-year standout for Xavier and was named to the All-Big East Third Team following his senior season in 2019. 

“[Otim] was beloved and one of the most popular student-athletes on our campus,” Xavier head coach Andy Fleming said in a statement over the weekend. “He is what’s great about college sports. Fled his native country as a refugee, settled in England, came to the U.S. on a scholarship. The growth he showed socially, academically and as a young man was amongst the most impressive I’ve seen in my 25 years of coaching.”

Otim played for Nottingham Forest FC Academy as a youth, and a number of players expressed their condolences on social media after losing a friend. 

The 24-year-old was in South Carolina over the holiday weekend. Pickens County coroner Kandy Kelley said that Otim was visiting friends at the Cliffs when he drowned at Lake Keowee, according to ESPN.com. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Otim’s family and friends during this time. 

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