SAN JOSE — A San Jose State University student was taken off life support Saturday night, days after falling unconscious during a practice of a water polo club team at the campus aquatics center.

University and family spokesmen on Sunday confirmed the death of Ryan Harryman, a senior who was scheduled to graduate in spring with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. The graduate of Homestead High School in Cupertino was 24-years-old.

“Ryan had many different hobbies, including water polo, writing, music and comedy,” his brother, William Harryman, wrote in a email to this newspaper. “He enjoyed making people laugh through his creative outlets.”

He said his brother started swimming competitively at age 4 and developed a passion for water polo in high school. The water polo club is separate from the university’s intercollegiate team, which was recently reinstated after more than three decades.

According to the university police department, officers were called to the large campus swimming pool at 6:23 p.m. Tuesday and found Harryman unconscious. An ambulance transported him to San Jose Regional Medical Center with “severe brain damage,” according to his brother. Members of the Sunnyvale family were at Harryman’s side when life-support apparatus was removed.

Word of the student-athlete’s death spread quickly through the campus and on social media websites.

“This is a tragic loss of a young man in the prime of life,” said San Jose State interim President Susan Martin. “Our San Jose State University community expresses its sympathy to Ryan’s family, friends and teammates.”

The San Jose State Men’s Water Polo Club posted this testimonial to their late teammate on Facebook: “Rest in peace to our teammate, friend, and brother Ryan Harryman. He never missed a practice and was undoubtedly one of the most dedicated members of our team. More importantly, he brought a constant positive attitude and made us smile at every opportunity.”

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