Ex-Palatine High School Athlete Drowns In Wisconsin Lake

WHITEWATER, WI — A former Palatine High School star athlete drowned over the weekend in Wisconsin, according to the Walworth County Sheriff's Office. Courtland A. Cornelius, 19, was a 2017 Palatine grad and was attending Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The sheriff's office received a 911 call concerning a water-related emergency near Whitewater just before 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 25, the law enforcement agency said in a statement posted on its Facebook page Monday. Cornelius had been swimming in Whitewater Lake when he "became distressed and submerged below the surface," a friend of the teen told the sheriff's office.

A sheriff's boat patrolled the lake within minutes, and fire departments from neighboring communities, as well as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, aided in the search for Cornelius. Divers recovered his body just before 10 p.m. Friday.

During his time at Palatine High School, Cornelius competed in track and football. As a first-year student at Carthage, which he attended with his brother, Kendrick, he was studying criminal justice and had run a record-setting race with the school's 4x100-meter relay team earlier this month.

"Carthage will mourn this terrible loss," school President John Swallow said in a statement. "In the days ahead, we will work with Courtland's family to determine a fitting way to honor his memory and legacy at Carthage. For now, I ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as they begin to cope with this tragedy."

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Cornelius' family. It has raised more than $7,000 — the online campaign's goal — in two days. T-shirts honoring the teen also are being sold online, with proceeds going to the family.

A funeral for Cornelius will be held Saturday, June 2, at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N. Arlington Heights, Road, Arlington Heights, with visitation from 9 t0 11 a.m.

Courtland Corneilus (Photo via GoFundMe)