TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) – A student-athlete at Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) is dead after suffering a medical emergency during a competition in New Orleans Friday (April 24).
The school says the incident happened at the Red River Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships, hosted by Xavier University in New Orleans. During the competition, one of the members of TAMUT’s track and field team suffered a medical emergency and collapsed.
The student, Graycen Vargo, was given immediate medical attention on-site before being taken to a local hospital, where he died.
Vargo was a junior computer science major from Dallas. He was competing in his first year with TAMUT after previously being with Jacksonville College. The school says he was recently honored with the Eagle Excellence Award for cross country during the university’s annual athletic awards ceremony. The award is given to student-athletes who make a positive impact on campus, within their teams, and in the community, while also showing strong character and academic excellence.
“Our thoughts are with Graycen’s family, teammates, and friends as they deal with this unimaginable loss,” said A&M-Texarkana President Dr. Ross Alexander. “Graycen was a respected member of the student body and a beloved member of the Cross Country and Track and Field Teams. His presence will be greatly missed by the entire university community.”…