Community mourns 2 WCSU lacrosse players killed in crash

COLCHESTER — Two Western Connecticut State University students were killed in a crash in Colchester Friday afternoon, state police said.

Police later identified the students as Colchester residents Jacob Chapman, 18, and Tyler Graham, 18.

A third student, Trey Massaro, 19, of Dalton, Mass., was airlifted to Hartford Hospital with suspected serious injuries, according to state police.

Massaro suffered serious injuries but is expected to recover, WCSU President John Clark said Saturday.

“We continue to mourn the loss of two of our promising young students and hope for a strong recovery for

Trey,” Clark said.

In his announcement, Clark said there are plans to hold a memorial for Chapman and Graham on campus, with more details to be released soon.

All three are freshmen at the university and members of the men’s lacrosse team.

Both Chapman and Graham were pursuing a bachelor of business administration in management from the Ancell School of Business. They had attended Bacon Academy in Colchester, the university said Saturday.

Massaro is pursuing a bachelor’s of science degree in Justice and Law Administration-Law Enforcement from the Ancell School of Business. He attended Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton, Mass., according to WCSU.

Colchester First Selectman Mary Bylone said the community is heartbroken over Champman and Graham’s deaths.

“Both Jake and Tyler were deeply committed to their community and to their schools,” Bylone wrote on her office’s Facebook page. “Full of promise and hope for the future, they represented the best of Colchester's young people and will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved them.”

Police were notified of the crash, which took place on Lake Hayward Road near the Route 354 intersection, around 1 p.m. Friday.

An outpouring of support and condolences filled social media on Saturday following news of the deadly crash.