Police say the search for three missing North Dakota softball players has ended in tragedy, as the women, including one from Manitoba, have been found dead in a vehicle pulled from a pond.

Police Lt. Rod Banyai said authorities are "still investigating" the cause of the death for the young athletes. Foul play is not suspected but has not been ruled out.

21-year-old Ashley Neufeld of Brandon, Man., 22-year-old Kyrstin Gemar of San Diego; and 20-year-old Afton Williamson were the focal point of an intense search in southwestern North Dakota since Sunday night.

Police in Dickinson, N.D. said the women made two phone calls to a friend late Sunday evening, asking for help and mentioned that they were near a lake and water.

Banyai said the pond where the women were found was about 3.5 metres deep on a farm northwest of Dickinson. Searchers had found vehicle tracks leading to the pond and oil was spotted on top of the water by an airplane taking part in the search.

Two hours later, the 1997 Jeep Cherokee was pulled from the pond. The vehicle will be checked for defects and police are unsure how it got in the pond.

All three women attend Dickinson State University, located in a small city of the same name, about 500 kilometres west of Fargo.

A prayer service was scheduled Tuesday night on campus.

Kyrstin Gemar's father said the trio liked to hang out to go stargazing.

On ABC's "Good Morning America," Lenny Gemar said his daughter and her friends often hung out by Patterson Lake when going to look at the stars.

A former roommate of Williamson made a similar comment about the trio's interest in stargazing to a local newspaper in Dickinson.

"They like to look at the stars," DSU student Chandra Christmann told the Dickinson Press.

Christmann said the women went to multiple destinations, all over the area, when stargazing together.

"I think they try to make it a new adventure every time they do it," Christmann said.

The DSU website features profiles on each of the softball players.

Neufeld, of Brandon, Man., was listed as being a right-handed outfielder working towards a degree in psychology with a minor in mathematics.

Gemar played third base and was from Grossmont, Calif., studying business.

Williamson, a pitcher from Lake Elsinore, Calif., recently transferred to the school from a community college and was studying psychology.

With files from The Associated Press