College wrestler, 19, named as hiker who fell to his death near 400ft waterfall in Yosemite
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A 19-year-old college wrestler from California has fallen to his death while hiking near a waterfall in Yosemite National Park, according to reports.
Ryan George’s wrestling team at Santa Rosa Junior College, about an hour’s drive northwest of San Francisco, announced the tragic news in a Facebook post Monday.
“This past weekend we received the tragic news that Ryan passed away at Yosemite National Park, following an accident,” the team wrote.
The Press Democrat, a local newspaper, reported that George was hiking with friends near Illilouette Falls on Sunday when he slipped and fell to his death. The waterfall is roughly 370 feet tall and flows all year long.
“If you knew Ryan, you know he was one of the most genuine, positive people you could ever meet,” his wrestling team said. “He had this way of lighting up a room, making you feel welcome, and bringing out the best in everyone around him. Always smiling, always encouraging, always full of life.”
Details surrounding George’s death, such as what led to the fall and the aftermath, are unknown. The Independent has reached out to the National Park Service and the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
George got into wrestling during his freshman year of high school. He was a football player at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa and was too heavy to join the wrestling team. But that didn’t stop him.
“He worked really, really hard and he got his weight down,” Ian Hesz, who was George’s high school wrestling coach, told The Press Democrat.
George won an individual North Bay League title at Montgomery High, and then earned All-American honors last wrestling season as a freshman at Santa Rosa Junior College, according to the outlet. On Friday, just days before his death, George earned second place at the Dave Pacheco Invitational meet at Sacramento City College.
“It was good watching him find what he loved,” George’s older sister, Jaida, told The Press Democrat. “He was always playing and wrestling when he was a kid.”
The siblings’ father died when George was a baby and their mother died just weeks ago, according to the outlet.
In a GoFundMe page created on behalf of Jaida, a loved one wrote, “In July, we lost our Beloved Taji and now, just 2 months later, her daughter Jaida is facing another heartbreaking loss with the passing of her Little Brother Ryan Jr. this past Sunday.”
“She is grieving the loss of two people she loves deeply, while also facing all that comes with losing family members so unexpectedly, on top of it all being a New Mommy to her precious Son who is only 2 months old,” read the fundraising page, which generated more than $9,000 in donations by Wednesday.
