Body of Former College Soccer Player Recovered Off San Diego Coast

San Diego authorities have identified a 26-year-old woman discovered in the waters off La Jolla Shores Beach as Bryn Waite, a former college soccer player. Emergency responders arrived at the scene around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of an unresponsive person in shallow water near the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed her death at the scene.

San Diego Fire-Rescue personnel and lifeguards responded after a bystander spotted the woman in the ocean, with the San Diego Police Department subsequently taking the lead on the investigation. The Medical Examiner’s Office listed her place of injury as “Ocean – Undetermined” and noted that the date, time, and cause of death remain pending further investigation. Authorities have not disclosed whether foul play is suspected or released an estimated time of death.

Waite, originally from Anchorage, Alaska, played as a defender for Central Washington University during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. She appeared in 15 games with eight starts, recording two assists across 723 career minutes and earning Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic Team honors in 2019. According to friends, Waite had been residing in San Diego and had recently become engaged.

Acquaintances described Waite as kind-hearted and warm, noting her genuine compassion for others. Friends indicated she had a deep love for animals and the beach, and her social media accounts featured travel photos from destinations including Joshua Tree National Park. Her final Instagram post, shared three days before her body was discovered, carried the caption, “It only gets better.”