21-Year-Old Midshipman Dies while Performing the US Navy's Running Test

A 21-year-old midshipman died while performing a routine physical readiness test at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, the Navy announced in a Feb. 9 Facebook post.

On Feb. 8, Duke Carrillo collapsed during the 1.5-mile run portion of the Navy's semi-annual readiness test. Initial responders attempted to revive Carrillo, and he was later pronounced dead at nearby Anne Arundel Medical Center.

The Naval Academy is investigating Carrillo's cause of death in coordination with the State of Maryland's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

"My wife, Joanne, and I join the brigade, staff and faculty in mourning the sudden and tragic loss of Midshipman Duke Carrillo,” Vice Adm. Sean Buck, the superintendent of the Naval Academy, said in the Facebook post. “Our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to the entire Carrillo family and our extended Naval Academy family during this extremely difficult time.”

Carrillo joined the academy in June 2018 and recently earned a 4.0 grade point average as an economics major. He was also an avid intramural athlete, according to the Facebook post.

The Navy implemented its new running test in 2018 following a trend of fitness test overhauls across multiple branches of the military. The test is a necessity for enlistment and requires a 16-minute time for males and an 18-minute time for females. Additionally, recruits are required to perform push-ups, curl-ups and a 450-meter swim.

The Navy reviewed its training and safety procedures after the boot camp deaths of two young recruits in early 2019.