LINDSBORG, KS - A Bethany College student, who friends described as always having a smile on his face, died Sunday evening of an apparent drowning during a barbecue at Lakeside Recreational Park in southern Saline County.

Friends of Nnaemeka "Emeka" A. Obiagwu, 22, of Pine Bluff, Ark., realized he was missing shortly before 6:30 p.m. and called the sheriff's office, Sheriff Glen Kochanowski said.

A group of Bethany students had gathered at the lake, and after playing volleyball for about half an hour, Obiagwu and others jumped in the water to cool off, said Jonathan Hence, a member of the Swedes' soccer team with Obiagwu and also from Pine Bluff. He described Obiagwu as his best friend.

Hence said he saw his friend jump into the lake from a diving platform and thought he had seen him swim out of the water -- but apparently he was wrong.

"People dove in the water as deep as we could, and other people walked around the place," Hence said. "We looked everywhere we could."

Kochanowski said the clothing Obiagwu had been wearing was found in a pile near the lake.

Members of the Saline County Sheriff's Office Mounted Patrol and Rescue Squad were called to search the lake. They found Obiagwu's body at about 9 p.m., Kochanowski said. An autopsy was being conducted Monday afternoon.

Obiagwu was the second Bethany student to die unexpectedly this summer. Bethany senior Leah Trask, 22, a former volleyball player, was killed in a May automobile crash.

Noni Strand, campus pastor, said that when students return to campus in the fall they will have "a lot of grieving" to do.

Obiagwu was a fifth-year senior and forensic science major. He was planning to serve as assistant coach of the soccer team this fall. Strand said Obiagwu was planning to carry the cross at the front of the procession for the opening convocation for the fall term.

"It's so hard when you see a student who is ready to leap into the world, and it's cut off so quickly," Strand said.

She said the world will be deprived of the good Obiagwu would have undoubtedly done.

"He was just delightful," she said. "He was one of those people you like being around -- very genuine. He was just a really kind person. He was such a warm and big-hearted wonderful person."

Strand said her most cherished memory of Obiagwu was of a phone call he made to her after her father died in November. Obiagwu had lost his own father in October, and she had called him at the time.

"He said, 'You called me when my dad died, so I wanted to be there for you, too,' " she said. "It was very touching. Not many students would do that."

Head men's soccer coach Jeff Kidd said Obiagwu, whom the team knew as "E," originally came from Nigeria. He was recruited to play soccer at Bethany on a scholarship. Obiagwu was a forward and a good player with his own style, Kidd said.

"Sometimes we butted heads because he liked to dribble a lot, and sometimes he'd try his own thing," Kidd said. That worked out well in a match against Bethel College when the Swedes were down 3 to 0, and Obiagwu shot an "awesome goal" from an angle the coach said he would not have recommended.

Kidd said he understood that Obiagwu grew up playing soccer in Nigeria and continued to play in high school after his family moved to Arkansas.

Kidd enjoyed an especially close relationship with his former player and soon-to-be assistant. They got together to watch the World Cup games.

When Kidd and his new wife recently went on a honeymoon trip, Obiagwu mowed his yard and picked up his mail. He also had been going on recruiting trips for the team and making calls.

"He had an all-access pass," Kidd said.

Kidd said Obiagwu seemed to have a permanent smile on his face. The only time he wasn't smiling recently was when his father passed away and he missed a playoff game last year.

Kidd said teammates have proposed many ideas for a tribute to Obiagwu, including having an E printed on their team uniforms.

Hence said he will miss his friend and soccer teammate, who was "always nice, always happy."

"He was cool," he said. "He was never really down about stuff; he was always willing to help out."

Hence said he belonged to Alpha Kappa Omega fraternity, and Obiagwu served as the fraternity's president.

Nicolette Unruh, who served as Greek Council president last year, said she enjoyed seeing Obiagwu at the weekly council meetings.

She described him as a "go-getter kind of guy."

"Everyone mentions his smile," she said. "He was always a very positive person."

Unruh, a communications major, was serving as editor of the Bethanian yearbook when her business manager transferred to another school. She said Obiagwu convinced her to pick him for the job.

"I thought he was too busy," she said. "He had a lot on his plate."

However, she said Obiagwu convinced her he could handle the job, and then he went out and got it done without having to be told what to do.

"He definitely came through and showed me that he deserved it," she said.

Obiagwu was staying in Lindsborg over the summer to help with soccer recruiting efforts and to work at Bethany Home, a nursing care facility for senior citizens. Andrea Johnson, human resource manager at Bethany Home, said he had worked as a certified nursing assistant since August 2008 and became a medication aide last year. She described him as "a kind and caring young man who always had a smile."

"The residents have been talking about it all day," she said. "We can't believe it. One day he's fine, and then he's gone."

She said Obiagwu seemed to have a special connection with the residents, having suffered many losses through the deaths of family members himself.