Friends, teammates remember Univ. of Dubuque student who drowned

DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCCI) - Friends and teammates say they are still in shock after hearing a University of Dubuque student-athlete drowned this past weekend.

Gbarjolo was on the track and field team at the University of Dubuque.

Before then, he ran for Valley High School in West Des Moines, winning a state championship and setting a state record that still stands today.

His teammates say he made an immediate impact with his hurdle skills, but what they’ll remember most is the time they spent off the track.

“Just countless memories up there, laughing watching basketball, him being a Nuggets fan, I’m a Lakers fan, and them sweeping us, the play fighting, it’s just, it’s crazy how all that was just a couple weeks ago,” Johnannan Frost, a friend of Urias, said.

Gjarbolo’s teammates say they have no doubt he will be watching over their team next season.

Copyright 2023 KCRG. All rights reserved.