A 23-year-old Oceanside man who was a high school standout at Carlsbad's Army and Navy Academy drowned Monday in San Luis Obispo County while volunteering with a Carlsbad church's youth camp.

Monday evening, Rory Graham was swimming in Lake Nacimiento, a popular recreation area about 30 minutes outside Paso Robles, when he got into trouble for unknown reasons and began to go under, San Luis Obispo County sheriff's officials said

A fellow swimmer with lifeguard training tried to pull Graham above water but couldn't, sheriff's spokesman Rob Bryn said. Another swimmer found the young man's body about an hour later.

Graham's mother, Karen Graham, said Tuesday that her son was athletic and a good swimmer.

Bryn said an autopsy scheduled for Wednesday may show whether any medical problems contributed to the drowning.

At the time of his death, Graham was a youth volunteer with high school campers from the North County Calvary Church, based in Carlsbad.

Dotty Metcalf, the church's human resources director, said the 90 youths who signed up for the five-day trip to Lake Nacimiento returned early Tuesday because of the tragedy.

"The kids loved him, and he had such a gift for teaching God's word," Metcalf said.

Graham was a devout Christian who had dreamed of being a preacher since he was 4. That's when he became fascinated by Baptist sermons, asking his grandma questions about them after listening intently in church, his mother said.

Gen. Steve Bliss, president of the 300-student private Army and Navy Academy, said Graham served as the school's chaplain for three years, and become affectionally known to his fellow students as "Reverend Cadet."

"He was known for his integrity and his deep moral and religious convictions, "Bliss said. "He was sort of unofficially adopted as the minister of the cadets."

Graham, who also played football, basketball and ran track at the school, graduated in 2004 with good grades and plenty of potential, Bliss said.

"He was accomplishing many of the things he set out to do when he left school and we were all very proud of him," Bliss said, adding that he saw Graham just two months ago.

Graham was the 2004 winner of a $5,000 award from the Oceanside-based Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund.

He attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, graduating in three years as a religious studies major, his mother said.

He chose the school for its renowned Bible scholars, and he dreamt of starting a ministry aimed at college-age students in North County, he told the North County Times in 2005.

"That's always been my dream -- to reach my generation, my age group." Graham said then. "My life's goal is to be there for the young people, because I know what they're going through. So we plan on evangelizing that whole community. With the Holy Spirit's help, of course."

Karen Graham said that after graduating college, her son worked as a youth pastor in Vista and joined an African aid group based in Texas. Most recently, he had mentored youths at the Carlsbad church and had plans to attend law school, his mother said. The young man was awaiting his LSAT results at the time of his death.

Among his unfinished work, Graham left writings, which his family was reading Tuesday, his mother said.

"He was writing a book about being a young Christian in these times, about how he wanted to be a role model to the African-American community," she said.

Graham is survived by his mother, father, an older sister and an older brother. His family is planning memorial services.

Call staff writer Sarah Gordon at 760-740-3517.