TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (AP) — The NCAA is honoring a University of Alabama swimmer who was killed while saving his girlfriend during a storm in Tuscaloosa earlier this year.
The NCAA says it will present its 2015 Award of Valor posthumously to John Servati of Tupelo, Mississippi.
The 21-year-old swimmer died in April while taking shelter in the basement of a home during a storm. A retaining wall collapsed on him.
Servati’s girlfriend Lauren Swann has since said the athlete saved her life by protecting her and freeing her from the fallen blocks.
An NCAA statement says Servati will be honored next year during the sanctioning organization’s convention.
The award goes to someone who shows bravery in a situation involving personal danger. Alabama swimming and diving coach Dennis Pursley says Servati embodied the award.
