Updated at 4:30 p.m. Monday: Revised to include more information about the victim.

Friends remembered the University of Texas at Arlington student who was swept away by weekend floodwaters as a caring and faith-driven man.

Alan Amaya (GoFundMe)

Witnesses said Alan Amaya, 23, floated away in rushing water near the university, said Lt. Mike Joiner, a spokesman for Arlington Fire Rescue.

Arlington fire officials and UT-Arlington police were notified about a possible drowning in the 1000 block of Greek Row Drive about 11:15 p.m. Friday.

"It took a while to find this victim because of the water," Joiner said. His body was recovered about 2 a.m. Saturday.

The El Paso student was working on a Ph.D. in pure mathematics and had served as a graduate assistant in mathematics since fall 2017.

He played club soccer at UTA and always seemed to have a ball on his feet, friend Willy Macha said.

"He was so loving and caring," Macha said. "He made you feel like the most important person at all times."

Faith was an important part of Amaya's life. He worked at a Christian sports camp over the summer and helped lead worship at his church.

Andrea Raquel Gutierrez set up a GoFundMe to help Amaya's family with funeral expenses. The fundraiser described Amaya as "an exemplary young man his entire life."

"He was a Christ follower and simply just touched the hearts of whoever surrounded him," she said. "Personally, Alan was a friend to me that I'll never be able to forget simply because of the way he loved others."

University President Vistasp M. Karbhari and university spokesman Joe Carpenter offered condolences to Amaya's family and friends.

"The UTA staff have been in close contact with Alan's family to assist them in any manner that we can during this most difficult time. They and Alan's friends are in our thoughts and prayers," Karbhari said in a written statement. "At times like this, I encourage all of us to come together to support each other."

The Tarrant County medical examiner has not ruled on Amaya's cause of death, and campus police were still investigating the events surrounding it Monday.

KXAS-TV (NBC5) contributed to this report.