WestConn lacrosse players killed in crash were ‘loved so much’

DANBURY — Students at Colchester schools and Western Connecticut State University continued to grieve on Monday for two students and lacrosse players killed in a car crash late last week

Jacob Chapman, 18, and Tyler Graham, 18, Colchester residents and freshmen at the university, were killed when the car Chapman was driving went off the road on Route 354 in Colchester Friday.

A third student, Trey Massaro, 19, was seriously injured and airlifted to Hartford Hospital. Details on Massaro’s condition were not available Monday.

Graham’s father, Jeffrey, said the family has “a lot of loved ones around us.” He noted that hundreds of people came to a vigil held Sunday evening in Colchester to remember the students.

“The kids were loved so much,” Jeffrey Graham said, declining to comment further. “It’s just so hard.”

Family members for Chapman and Massaro could not be reached on Monday.

As of Monday afternoon, nearly $60,000 combined had been raised for the families of Chapman and Graham through two GoFundMe pages.

Graham was pursuing a bachelor of business administration in management information systems at WestConn.

“Tyler aka Mambo was fierce on the lacrosse field but had a heart of gold,” his GoFundMe page states. “He will be missed so much by the Colchester community, his friends and his family.”

Chapman also studied business administration.

“He had a magnetic personality and anyone who met him couldn’t help but smile,” his GoFundMe page states. “He will be missed by the Colchester community and all his family and friends.”

Ken Houman, whose stepson is a freshman on the WCSU lacrosse team, said the two were good teammates. His stepson played against the two students in high school lacrosse and with Chapman through Shoreline Lacrosse, a travel club.

“They were just outgoing, funny, happy kind of guys,” he said.

Houman described Chapman’s “bubbly, outgoing personality,” recalling how the player, in the middle of games, would say hello to his wife who kept stats on the sidelines.

“Jake, pay attention to the game,” Houman said his wife would tell the teen.

“No, don’t worry, I just scored. I’m good,” Chapman replied, according to Houman.

Western Connecticut State University plans to hold a memorial for the students, but has yet to set a date so as not to conflict with the funeral services, spokesman Paul Steinmetz said.

“We are continuing to work with students, both athletes across all teams, and residents of Litchfield Hall, where the three students lived on campus,” he said in an email.