Californian high school soccer star, 16, is killed with her friend, 13, in a horror jet ski crash on popular Illinois vacation lake

A high school soccer star and her 13-year-old family friend have been killed in a tragic jet ski crash when they collided with a boat at high speed.

Sarina Lee Vootkur, 16, was piloting the Yamaha WaveRunner with Elle Kim, 13, as a passenger on Lake Marie near Antioch, Illinois, on Tuesday.

They were speeding north near the channel to Grass Lake, just north of the Elime Road Peninsula, when a 21ft Sea Ray Cabin Cruiser crossed their path.

Witnesses said the jet ski was speeding directly at the boat, whose driver, a 55-year-old local man, was unable to get out of the way.

Lake County Coroner Jennifer Banek said the girls died from blunt force injuries they suffered when the jet ski crashed into the boat about 5.15pm.

'Both occupants of the jet ski, who were wearing life vests, were knocked unconscious and thrown into the water,' she said.

Banek said all four of the adults on the boat immediately dived into the water and pulled the girls out, then called 911 and desperately tried to save their lives.

One of the girls was rushed to the shore by the Sea Ray and the other by the another passing boat. The jet ski was totally destroyed, police said.

They were rushed to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville but declared dead on arrival.

Police said the boat had right of way on the water and its pilot had no chance to avoid the collision.

Sarina was a star player for the Trabuco Hills High School Mustangs in Mission Viejo, California, and had just finished her sophomore year.

'Our hearts are broken... Sarina's legacy will forever remain in the hearts of all who knew her,' the team said in a statement.

Sarina suffered a right leg injury earlier this year and shared her frustration on TikTok when it took longer than expected to heal.

'These past 3 months have been the hardest months I've ever gone thru. Everyone tells me I'll be stronger after this but all I want is to play soccer,' she wrote.

Her boyfriend, fellow soccer star Jake Cunanan, wrote a heartbreaking tribute that he called 'the hardest thing I've ever had to do'.

'I'm shaking, and honestly don't know if typing this now is the best time to do it, but I want Sarina's legacy to be known and what an incredible person she was,' he wrote.

'This past year, I got to get to know one of the most goofy, loving, and caring people to grace this earth. 

'Sarina was the best person and girlfriend imaginable. We have shared so many dates and it has been the best part of my life.'

Jake wrote that his mother told him that despite being an introvert, he needed to appear confident so he could make friends - and Sarina was one of few who could look past that façade.

'She made me feel comfortable and heard like nobody else could. Whenever I dealt with any degree of struggle, she was able to talk me through it,' he wrote.

'Every date, picture, and event with her was a joy to the highest degree. She always loved living in the present.

'What happened is not right. She had such a bright future.'

Jake started a fundraiser on Thursday he said would pay for her funeral and a 'permanent remembrance to commemorate her in the way she deserves'.

He said Sarina loved soccer, journaling, filming, editing, and wanted to be an English teacher after she finished school.

Korina, one of Sarina's close school friends, also wrote an emotional tribute on Instagram beside a collage of photos of them together.

'When I first heard, I thought it was a prank. I wanted it to be one so badly. I can't even begin to process what has happened,' she wrote.

'Sarina was one of the realest friends I've ever had the honor of meeting. She was so strong and I admired how she always stuck with what she thought was right. 

'She cared so deeply about people and always listened to whatever I had to say. She was an amazing and determined soccer player and also so unimaginably intelligent. 

'She was one of the funniest people I've ever met who had the sweetest smile and lit up everyone's day. I'm so grateful to have spent freshman and sophomore year with her. 

'I miss you Sarina already. I wish we had more time together. I wish I got to hang out with you one last time. Life is so unfair.'

Sarina's last Instagram posts showed her having a picnic with another school friend, Amy, as they drew art together.

'Forever going to be my #1 picnic buddy, favorite person to scream Olivia Rodrigo with, and my other little sister,' she wrote.

'Things will not be the same without you.'

Elle was from Long Grove, Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs and set track records for Mundelein West Oak Middle School.

She was the only child of Marcus and Teresa Kim, whose neighbors rallied to provide meals for them as they grieved.

'Elle was a friend to many of your sons and daughters,' a post on a local Facebook group organizing the effort read.

Sarina was staying at a lake cottage with Elle and her parents, who are family friends, after traveling there with an adult relative, police said.

Both girls had autopsies on Thursday to confirm their cause of death and the crash is under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit and Illinois Conservation Police.

A male was also rushed to hospital, Antioch Fire Chief Jon Cokefair said, but it was not clear how he was involved in the crash. No one on the boat was injured. 

Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the jet ski was owned by another friend, who also owned the lake cottage.

Children over 12 can pilot a jet ski in Illinois, but have to complete an eight-hour water safety course to be certified. It was not known if Sarina did so, how how much experience she had on a jet ski.