CASPER, Wyo. — A University of Wyoming student and track and field athlete is being mourned after he died in a car crash near Douglas.
According to a release from the UW Athletics Department, Nathan Reid died after what appears to be a single-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 18/20 near Orin Junction south of Douglas. He was discovered at the site of the car crash by road construction workers as they arrived early Monday. As of Tuesday morning, the Wyoming Highway Patrol had not yet issued a report on the crash.
Reid, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, would have started his senior season at UW this fall. He competed in discus and shot put events and was majoring in mechanical engineering, the release said. He earned Honorable Mention All-American honors at the end of the 2021–22 season after placing 23rd in discus at the NCAA championships.
According to his UW bio, his parents are Dalton and Icolin Reid, and he had two siblings. His father competed in the long jump at the University of the West Indies.
The University of Wyoming International Students and Scholars group remembered Reid in a Facebook post for his “kind, gentle nature.”
“Nathan had a big personality and an even bigger smile,” they said. “He was a cherished part of our international and UW community; sharing his talents from saxophone playing to participating as a member of the UW track team.”
“His presence would light up a room, with being such a joyous and loving soul to be around,” said a tribute on UW’s Multicultural Affairs Facebook page.
“Anytime you lose someone in the UW Family it hurts, but it is extremely sad when the individual is a UW student,” said UW director of athletics Tom Burman in the release. “Nathan had a bright future, and he was so well respected by his teammates and coaches. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, teammates and friends.”
The university is offering counseling resources for student-athletes and staff, they said.
