A 19-year old soccer player for Wheaton College was killed when he was hit in the head with a hammer during a track and field event sponsored by the college.
Ethan Roser, a freshman, was volunteering at the Wheaton College track and field competition when he was accidentally struck by an errant hammer throw, according to WGN-TV in Chicago. Wheaton is a small Christian college about 25 miles of Chicago.
Ethan Roser, WGN-TV
A witness told the television station when Roser was hit, he immediately collapsed and was unresponsive. Paramedics took him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
While the report didn't specify if the hammer was thrown by a male or female athletes, males use hammers that are 3-feet, 11.75 inches long and weight 16 pounds; females use hammers that re 3-feet, 11 inches long and weigh 8.8 pounds.
According to WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, Roser was a three-year letterman in soccer and helped Mason High School to a state soccer championship. He transferred to Wheaton from the University of Cincinnati.
Wheaton College President Philip Ryken released a statement that said, in part: "We are deeply grieved, but, because of our faith in Christ, not without hope. We ask people to pray for Ethan's family, his friends, and our campus community."
