April 23 (UPI) — A college freshman at a suburban Chicago college died after being hit by a hammer during a track meet, the private school said.
Wheaton College freshman Ethan Roser, 19, died after the accident about 4:15 p.m. Saturday, according to a statement by the school. Roser, who transferred from Cincinnati in January, was volunteering at the track meet.
Paramedics treated Roser and he was transported to a local hospital, where he died, the statement said.
“We are deeply grieved, but, because of our faith in Christ, not without hope,” said Wheaton College President Philip Ryken in a statement. “We ask people to pray for Ethan’s family, his friends, and our campus community.”
It wasn’t known whether Roser was volunteering at the hammer throw or at a nearby event.
In the hammer event, athletes throw a metal ball — 16 pounds for men and 8.8 pounds for women — attached to a steel wire form inside a circle, according to International Association of Athletics Federation. The thrower usually makes three or four spins before releasing the ball.
Roser was a member of the men’s soccer team, according to the athletic department’s website.
Wheaton College is a private interdenominational Christian liberal arts college 25 miles west of downtown Chicago. The school had an enrollment of 2,76 undergraduate and graduate students in 2015, according to the university website.