Police: Northwestern crew member who drowned couldn’t swim

A member of Northwestern University’s crew team who drowned in April after falling overboard during a practice didn’t know how to swim.

Illinois State Police investigated freshman rower Mohammed Ramzan’s death and interviewed a teammate who said the 19-year-old from Auburn, Washington, revealed his lack of swimming skills a few days before his death. The details were in a state police report obtained by the Chicago Tribune.

The report also quotes several team members who said they didn’t have to pass a swim test before being allowed on the water.

The sport’s governing body calls for participants to demonstrate their swimming ability. A Northwestern spokesman said the team has since instituted a “safety exam” for its members but would not say if that includes a swim test.

A crew team with Ramzan was practicing on the North Shore Channel in the Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood when he fell in.