Cook Children's Medical Center

Girl, 13, Dies After Found Unresponsive in Pool at Southlake Aquatics Center

A 13-year-old has died after she was found unresponsive Monday in the Carroll Independent School District Aquatics Center pool, officials say.

According to district spokeswoman Julie Thannum, a competitive swim club, the "NTN Navy Elite," were finishing their warmup at about 6:45 a.m. when one of the swimmers noticed a teammate in trouble.

The swimmer, identified as Elise Cerami, was pulled from the water and coaches immediately began CPR and called 911, Thannum said.

The girl was unresponsive when she was first transported to Baylor Medical Center Grapevine and eventually Cook Children's Medical Center, according to Thannum.

It's not clear how long the girl was underwater.

Officials said she was a student in the Carroll ISD and would have been a freshman at Carroll High School this fall.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of Elise's passing and ask that you pray for her family, friends and fellow NTN team members," Thannum said in a school district statement Monday night.

Separately, swim coach Bill Christensen suffered symptoms of a heart attack after the incident and underwent surgery at Baylor Regional Medical Center, where he was in good condition Monday night.

"Elise was doing what she loved to do – what she was passionate about," her father, David Cerami, said in a statement released by the school district. "She loves the NTN family; she loves being a Dragon. The support has just been overwhelming. We send our best wishes to Coach Bill for a full recovery, and thank him, all the other students and staff who helped respond and do everything they could to try to help and save Elise."

Thannum said the aquatics center, which is located at Carroll Senior High School, remains closed through Tuesday, and a swim meet scheduled for Wednesday is canceled.

NBC 5's Alice Barr contributed to this report.

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