Three members of the University of Wyoming swimming and diving team were killed and 2 others injured Thursday afternoon in a rollover accident on Hwy 287 about 10 miles south of the Colorado state line.
UW officials say the SUV the group was in was not a school vehicle and the athletes were not on an official team trip.
Killed were 19-year old sophomore Charlie Clark from Nevada, 21-year old Luke Slabber of South Africa, and 18 freshman Carson Muir from Alabama. Two men, ages 20 and 21, were hospitalized and are expected to survive.
UW President Ed Seidel said in a statement “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.”
      The Colorado Highway Patrol says the crash apparently happened when the driver swerved and the SUV went off the pavement, then rolled over multiple times. The weather was fair and conditions clear at the time.
Hwy 287 between Laramie and Fort Collins is known for deadly wrecks, including one that saw 8 cross country runners killed when their vehicle was hit by a drunk driver in 2001.
The Colorado Highway Patrol says the 30-mile section of Hwy 287 from Fort Collins to the Wyoming line has had 570 crashes over the past 5 years, including 15 fatal wrecks.