Northwestern Student Rower's Drowning Ruled Accidental

EVANSTON, IL — The death of a freshman Northwestern rower has been ruled an accidental drowning by the Cook County Medical Examiner.

Mohammed Ramzan, 19, fell overboard during crew team practice Monday morning on the North Shore Channel in north suburban Lincolnwood. A coach and teammate jumped into the water to try to save him but he did not emerge. His body was found Monday evening, according to a statement from the school. A spokesperson for the Illinois State Police said the student's death investigation is ongoing.

Ramzan was a first-year undergraduate from Auburn, Washington. He was attending the university on a full scholarship, according to a GoFundMe page established to assist his family with funeral expenses. He was "a loving, caring, funny, charismatic, all around lovable person," and "committed to his academics," it said.

» More: Northwestern Crew Rower Dies After Falling Overboard

Ramzan was a 2016 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School. He was a chemistry major and the recipient of a QuestBridge scholarship, according to the Chicago Tribune.

"I know he was going to do something amazing with himself," a high school friend told KOMO in Washington.

"He had such a loving nature. He wanted to hold your hand and be next to you and just be present," a close friend and fellow QuestBridge scholar at Northwestern said, while a Lane Tech senior remembered Ramzan having been described as "the human embodiment of light," the Tribune reported.

Top photo: Mohammed Ramzan (GoFundMe)