Diver Brennan Dies After Car Accident

Lee Brennan, a three-sport athlete at Aliso Niguel High who won a Southern Section diving championship in May, was killed in an automobile accident Wednesday near Vicksburg, Ariz. He was 18.

Brennan was driving to Arizona State, which he was to attend on a diving scholarship, when the accident occurred at about 11 a.m., said Officer Andy Vidaure of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Brennan’s mother, Bev, was following Brennan to the school in another car and witnessed the accident, Vidaure said.

“Besides being such an awesome diver, Lee was a wonderful young man,” said Janet Ely-Lagourgue, a former world champion diver who coaches in Irvine. “It’s so sad that here he was, embarking on a new life at ASU, and this happened. He was a very outgoing young man and was extremely well liked.”

Brennan’s truck went off the road into a dirt median, struck a concrete culvert and rolled over, Vidaure said. Brennan, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the truck. He was declared dead at the scene.

Vidaure said the accident is still being investigated, but it appears fatigue was a factor. The speed Brennan’s car was traveling was not known because the accident report had not been completed, Vidaure said.

At Aliso Niguel Brennan, who graduated in June, also played football and wrestled. But his greatest talent was in diving, even though he rarely practiced until the end of the football and wrestling seasons.

“It was a frustration,” said Curt Wilson, Brennan’s club coach the last three years. “His first three years of high school he would take five months off to wrestle and play football. It’s a testament to his talent that by the end of the high school season he’d get back in [top] form.”

Brennan finished second in the section Division II championships as a freshman and junior. He was injured as a sophomore.

But he had a breakthrough senior season, winning the Western Junior Olympics Winter Nationals, then the Division II title in May. In winning the title, Brennan broke the division scoring record with 565.05 points.

“Lee had so much raw talent, it was just a question of devoting enough time for the talent to be realized,” Wilson said. “That happened this year. It was always by end of summer he would be at top of his form. This year, by staying with diving, it was enough to maintain a level that made coming back to top form happen sooner.”

Others remembered Brennan with respect and fondness.

“This is a tremendous tragedy,” said Mark Bradshaw, Arizona State swimming coach. “He was a great kid with a great future. We send out our prayers to the family.”

Lee, a part-time fullback and played on special teams, played two years on varsity football.

“He was an outstanding special teams player as junior and senior,” Coach Joe Wood said. “He was also a fine young man from a great family. It’s just a sad time.”

Wood said Brennan’s uniform number, 31, will be worn on the Wolverine helmets this fall.

Brennan is survived by his parents, Bev and Leo Brennan, a vice president with Cox Communications in San Juan Capistrano, and a sister, Kim, 24, who graduated from Cal State Fullerton last year.

Funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to establish the Lee Brennan Memorial Scholarship Fund be sent to Cox Communications, Human Resources Department, 26181 Avenida Aeropuerto, San Juan Capistrano, 92675.

Times staff writer Erik Hamilton contributed to this story.