Colchester, state lacrosse community mourn two Western Connecticut State lacrosse players killed in crash
In the wake of a devastating car crash Friday that killed two Western Connecticut State University men’s lacrosse players and injured a third, the Colchester and state lacrosse communities mourned the deaths of students just two months into their college careers.
The two players who died, Tyler Graham and Jacob Chapman, both 18 years old, had distinguished themselves as lacrosse players at Bacon Academy in Colchester before starting at WCSU this fall.
“This loss is devastating to our entire school community, and our deepest condolences go out to the students’ families and loved ones,” Jeffrey E. Burt, Colchester Public Schools superintendent, said in a statement Saturday.
On Monday, all of Colchester’s public schools will have counselors available for students and staff members seeking support in the wake of the deaths, Burt said. He also encouraged parents to “speak with your children to support them as they process their grief and sense of loss.”
A vigil for Graham and Chapman was held Sunday evening on the Colchester Town Green.
In a Facebook message posted Sunday morning, Colchester First Selectman Mary Bylone announced that the town had erected signage and speed flashing units “around the accident site where many members of the community have set up a memorial.”
Bylone urged those visiting the memorial site to park on the shoulder of Lake Hayward Road and not on Route 354, in either direction.
The crash occurred Friday afternoon, when a car driven by Chapman swerved off of Route 354, hitting a guardrail and several trees and rolling down an embankment. Graham was pronounced dead on scene; Chapman was pronounced dead at Marlborough Medical Center.
The third passenger of the car, 19-year-old Trey Massaro of Dalton, Massachusetts, was transported from the site of the crash to Hartford Hospital with “serious injuries,” according to WCSU.
Massaro attended Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton before entering WCSU this fall, where he majors in justice and law administration.
In a Saturday evening Facebook post, Wahconah Warriors boys lacrosse — the team for which Massaro served as a captain — reported that Massaro was “badly injured” and had undergone surgery but is expected to recover.
A spokesperson for Connecticut State Police Troop K-Colchester did not have additional information on Massaro’s condition Sunday. The crash remains under investigation.
Tributes to Graham and Chapman and well-wishes for Massaro flooded social media over the weekend.
“The lacrosse community suffered a great loss yesterday,” East Catholic Boys Lacrosse wrote in a Facebook post Saturday, adding that Chapman and Graham were “great competitors on the field and were taken from us far too soon.”
CT-Shoreline Lacrosse, a club team program in southeastern Connecticut, remembered Chapman on Saturday afternoon as a “beloved” player.
“Chappy, recent alum from our 2021 team, always held a positive mindset and had an infectious smile and laugh that spread throughout the team,” the program wrote in a Twitter post.
At WCSU, Chapman was a first-year student in the Ancell School of Business. As of Sunday afternoon, a GoFundMe page created to support Chapman’s family and alleviate funeral costs had raised nearly $20,000 of its $30,000 goal. The page wrote of Chapman, “He had a magnetic personality and anyone who met him couldn’t help but smile.”
Graham, also a first-year student at WCSU’s Ancell School of Business, was majoring in management information systems.
Connecticut Valley Lacrosse, a developmental program for lacrosse players in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, remembered Graham in a Facebook post over the weekend as “someone who would do whatever it takes to make his mark on the field, and a player whose work ethic was so infectious that those around him pushed themselves to be the best they could be.”
Eliza Fawcett can be reached at elfawcett@courant.com.
