Drowned former Wheaton athletes remembered for their faith

The Wheaton College community is mourning two of its former football players who drowned in Lake Michigan at a social gathering this weekend. Jalen Shaffer, 26, and Philip LoChirco, 24, passed away while swimming outside Port Sheldon Township, Mich., Wheaton Athletics said Tuesday. Shaffer played four seasons at the Illinois college over five years, while LoChirco played three seasons in four years. Wheaton is a private, evangelical college located outside of Chicago.

The men were more than former players—they were brothers, teammates, and friends, Wheaton head football coach Jesse Scott said in a statement. He said the men pursued excellence on and off the field and were fiercely committed to knowing and loving Jesus.

LoChirco worked as an assistant football coach at Wheaton Academy, a private Christian high school in West Chicago. He cared about the players and showed up every day with energy and joy, Wheaton Academy athletic director Brad Byrne said in a statement to WORLD. “He loved the Lord, and his hope in Christ was at the center of how he lived,” Byrne said.

What led up to the drowning? The two men were staying in the area for a social gathering, the Ottawa County Sheriff's office said in a statement to WORLD. The group of friends had jumped from a pier into the lake around 1 p.m. Saturday when LoChirco began to struggle to stay afloat. Several people from the group attempted to rescue him, the sheriff’s office said. At some point, Shaffer also went under the water. The men were eventually pulled out of the water, but medical personnel were unable to revive them.