Lauren McCluskey, the University of Utah student who died Monday after being shot to death by a registered sex offender, is being remembered as a star athlete and beloved daughter. She was supposed to graduate next May. She was 21. Before attending the University of Utah, McCluskey had her pick of about five other schools, she told the Moscow-Pullman Daily News in 2014. The then-teen from Washington chose Utah because she "felt it was right." "I decided that Utah was the best fit for me," McCluskey said at the time. "The major was a great fit and also the coach really liked me and specialized in the high jump. I also like that it had a lot of student support." Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan said Tuesday that McCluskey did more than just earn her position on the team, she was a "senior track standout." She was known for beating her own personal records, as seen in team stats posted online. "This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core," Harlan tweeted. In a statement, University President Ruth V. Watkins said the senior majoring in communications was also an "outstanding scholar." McCluskey's parents say they will remember their daughter's strength and determination. They also said their daughter loved to sing. The university's website posted information about a vigil on campus set for Wednesday night. More:Registered sex offender police say killed University of Utah student is found dead McCluskey's body was found in a car on campus Monday night. Police say a man she briefly dated shot and killed her. They later chased Melvin Rowland, a 37-year-old registered sex offender, into a Salt Lake City church where he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Rowland lied to McCluskey about his name, age and criminal history in the past month when they dated, her parents told the The Salt Lake Tribune. Follow Ashley May on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets<doc-sep>The University of Utah is in mourning Tuesday after the news of the death of track and field athlete Lauren McCluskey. McCluskey was killed Monday night near Utah’s campus, according to a statement from president Ruth V. Watkins. According to Watkins, police received a report of a potential abduction near a residence hall parking lot. Police then found McCluskey’s body in a parked car after searching the area. An investigation remains ongoing into her death but the male suspect was reportedly found “deceased at an off-campus location.” “Lauren was a highly regarded member of the university’s track and field team and an outstanding scholar, a senior majoring in communication,” the statement said. “Several members of our university administration spoke with Lauren’s family last night and I have also reached out to them. Her family is understandably in shock at this news about their daughter. They are heartbroken. We have and continue to offer our full support to them at this terrible time.” Utah cancelled classes Tuesday with grief counseling available and a planned Wednesday vigil for McCluskey. “Last night, the University of Utah lost one of our own,” stated athletic director Mark Harlan. “Senior track standout Lauren McCluskey was tragically killed in a senseless act. This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core. We have University counselors and psychologists on standby to support Lauren’s teammates, coaches and friends. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and all of those dear to her.” Watkins thanked local authorities for their role and response to the tragedy. “I deeply appreciate the quick response by University Police Chief Dale Brophy, the university’s Department of Public Safety, residential housing staff, Athletics Department and other staff who responded last night,” he wrote. “I also want to thank the Salt Lake City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies for their excellent help and work.” McCluskey ranks 10th all-time in Utah Utes history in the pentathlon with 3,181 points, according to her school bio, and received All-Academic honors last season. She was a communications major from Pullman (Wash.) High. UPDATE: McCluskey's mother reportedly released a statement the morning after her daughter's murder. "It is with deepest sadness that we let you know that our daughter Lauren McCluskey, age 21, was the University of Utah student who was killed last night. Lauren previously dated her killer for about one month. He lied to her about his name, his age and his criminal history. Lauren was informed by a friend about his criminal history, and she ended the relationship with her killer on Oct. 9, 2018. He had borrowed her car, and she requested for the University of Utah police (to) accompany her on October 10, 2018 to get her car back. She blocked his and his friends' phone numbers and complained to the University of Utah police that she was being harassed. Last night a little before 9 pm, she was returning to her university apartment from her night class and talking to me on the phone. Suddenly, I heard her yell 'No, no no!' I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her. My husband called 911. I kept the line open and in a few minutes, a young woman picked up the phone and said all of Lauren's things were on the ground. "Lauren was a senior student athlete on the University of Utah track team. She was an outstanding student with a 3.75 GPA majoring in Communication and she was excited to graduate in May 2019. She was a 2015 honors graduate of Pullman High School where she was Washington state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. She attended Capital Church in Salt Lake City. She loved to sing and had strength and determination. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed."<doc-sep>A University of Utah athlete was shot and killed on campus on Monday night by her former boyfriend, who was found dead hours later inside a church, local authorities have confirmed. Lauren McCluskey, who competed for the university in high jump and pentathlon, was shot outside a dormitory just before 10 pm. Police said she had had a relationship with the shooter, identified as 37-year-old Melvin Rowland. Police followed Rowland to a church off-campus where he was found dead. The university’s president, Ruth Watkins, said the university had canceled classes on Tuesday and scheduled an evening vigil for McCluskey, who was 21 and majoring in communications. “As a campus community, we share grief over this tragic loss of life,” she said in a statement. The university’s athletics director, Mark Harlan, said psychologists were available to support McCluskey’s teammates, coaches and friends. “This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core,” he said. McCluskey’s body was found in a car on campus. “It was really scary to look out the window and see. I saw 15 to 20 police officers right where we’re standing right now,” Tyler Olsen, a student who lives in family housing near the shooting scene, told the Deseret News. “I mean, you’re in your home, but nowhere feels safe in that moment.” Last month, an ex-convict pleaded guilty to killing a University of Utah student from China using a gun stolen after another slaying. Austin Boutain, 24, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He and his wife were charged with hatching a carjacking plot that led to the death of Chenwei Guo.<doc-sep>A University of Utah track athlete was shot and killed Monday night, the school announced. Lauren McCluskey, a senior communication major from Pullman, Washington, was found dead in the back seat of a parked car near a residential hall on campus. She was 21. The suspect believed to be responsible for her death, Melvin Rowland, a registered sex offender, killed himself a short time later following a police pursuit, according to University of Utah Police Chief Dale Brophy. Rowland and McCluskey had a prior romantic relationship, Brophy said. Rowland was 37. Lauren McCluskey, a senior communication major from Pullman, Washington, was shot and killed Monday night. University of Utah Athletics Earlier this month, McCluskey filed a report with university police related to alleged harassment from Rowland. Detectives had been in touch with McCluskey regarding the allegation, according to Brophy, who would not provide further details related to that investigation. Jill McCluskey, Lauren's mother and a professor at Washington State University, released a statement in which she described being on the phone with her daughter at the time of an apparent attack. "Last night a little before 9 p.m., she was returning to her university apartment from her night class and talking to me on the phone," the statement said. "Suddenly, I heard her yell, 'No, no, no!' I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her." Jill McCluskey's husband, Matt, immediately called 911. Rowland was convicted of forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor, both felonies, in 2004, public records show. According to Brophy, Rowland had disappeared from the Fortitude Treatment Center, a halfway house in Salt Lake City. Police did not have a current address for him. Jill McCluskey said Rowland lied to her daughter about his name, age and criminal history. Lauren McCluskey ended the relationship on Oct. 9 after a friend told her about Rowland's criminal history. "Several members of our university administration spoke with Lauren's family last night and I have also reached out to them," Utah president Ruth V. Watkins said in a statement. "Her family is understandably in shock at this news about their daughter. They are heartbroken. We have and continue to offer our full support to them at this terrible time." The university canceled all classes Tuesday. Counseling and support services were made available. A vigil for McCluskey is being planned for Wednesday evening at the Park Building on campus. "This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core," athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement. "We have university counselors and psychologists on standby to support Lauren's teammates, coaches and friends. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and all of those dear to her." McCluskey had a 3.75 grade point average and was on track to graduate in May 2019. She was an honor student at Pullman High School and was a state champion in the high jump. "Everyone associated with our program is devastated by the loss of Lauren," Utah track and field coach Kyle Kepler said in a statement. "There are no words to express the emotions and grief we are experiencing right now. Lauren was a wonderful person, an excellent student and a dedicated member of our track and field team. She showed a relentless drive to improve every day over the last three and a half years and was always kind and supportive of her teammates. Those are just some of the reasons why her loss has hit us so hard." "The Pac-12 Conference joins the University of Utah and our entire conference community in mourning the loss of Lauren McCluskey, and expressing our deepest condolences to her family," the Pac-12 said in a statement. "Lauren was an accomplished and exceptional young woman and student-athlete, and our thoughts are with the University of Utah community and all those who were touched by Lauren as we grieve this tragic loss."<doc-sep>
SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah student Lauren McCluskey was shot and killed on campus by a former boyfriend, who was found dead hours later inside a church on Tuesday, according to authorities. McCluskey, a 21-year-old senior from Pullman, Washington, was shot outside a dormitory just before 10 p.m. Police followed the shooter, identified as 37-year-old Melvin Rowland, into an off-campus church after he was spotted at about 1 a.m., University of Utah Police Lt. Brian Wahlin said. Wahlin said Rowland's body was found inside the church. Police didn't provide circumstances of his death. McCluskey's family said in a statement she was returning to her apartment from a class Monday night "and talking to me on the phone." Lauren McCluskey University of Utah "Suddenly, I heard her yell, 'No, no, no! I thought she might have been in a car accident. That was the last I heard from her," the family statement said. "My husband called 911. I kept the line open and in a few minutes, a young woman picked up the phone and said all of Lauren's things were on the ground." The statement said Lauren dated her alleged killer for about a month. "He lied to her about his name, his age, and his criminal history," the family statement said. "Lauren was informed by a friend about his criminal history, and she ended the relationship with her killer on October 9, 2018." The family said she blocked his phone number as well as the number of his friends and told University of Utah police that she was being harassed. McCluskey was a track and field athlete and majored in communication. University President Ruth Watkins said the university canceled classes Tuesday and scheduled a 5 p.m. vigil for McCluskey. "As a campus community, we share grief over this tragic loss of life," she said in a statement. Athletics Director Mark Harlan said university counselors and psychologists were available to support McCluskey's teammates, coaches and friends. "This news has shaken not only myself but our entire University of Utah athletics family to its core," he said. McCuskey's body was found in a car near the university's medical towers, Wahlin said. Melvin Rowland Handout/Utah Sex Offender Registry "It was really scary to look out the window and see. I saw 15 to 20 police officers right where we're standing right now," Tyler Olsen, a student who lives in family housing near the shooting scene, told the Deseret News. "I mean, you're in your home, but nowhere feels safe in that moment." Last month, an ex-convict pleaded guilty to killing a University of Utah student from China using a gun stolen after another slaying. Austin Boutain, 24, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He and his wife were charged with hatching a carjacking plot that led to the October 2017 death of Chenwei Guo, whose parents live in Beijing and were devastated over the death of their only son at age 23.