Passages: Jamie Cail, Former U.S. National Team Swimmer, 42
Jamie Cail, a former U.S. national teamer and gold medalist at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships, died in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Feb. 21.
Reports from the island indicate that police there are investigating the circumstances of Cail’s death. She was 42 years old.
Cail was a native of Claremont, New Hampshire. She swam at the Bolles School and attended the University of Southern California before transferring to the University of Maine.
In one of her most significant national-team meets, she won gold in the 800 free relay at the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, alongside Lindsay Benko, Ashley Whitney and Jenny Thompson. She also finished fourth in the 1,500 freestyle. She also won a World Cup circuit event in the 800 free.
“USA Swimming is saddened to hear of Jamie Cail’s passing,” said Lindsay Mintenko (nee Benko), the managing director of the US national swimming team. “Jamie was a proud member of our National Teams in the late 1990s and was a cherished teammate. We extend our condolences to Jamie’s friends and family.”
“University of Maine athletics is saddened to learn of the death of former Black Bear swimmer, Jamie Cail,” officials said in an emailed statement to CNN. “The University of Maine community asks everyone to keep Jamie’s family and friends in their thoughts.”
The U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department said that a man identified as Cail’s boyfriend found her on the floor of their home when he returned from a bar. He and a friend transported her to the hospital, where efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. The police have not released a cause of death or preliminary autopsy reports.