A freshman at Wheaton College died after being accidentally hit during the hammer throw while volunteering at a track-and-field event Saturday.
Ethan Roser, 19, was struck about 4:15 p.m. during the hammer throw event, in which competitors throw a weighted, tethered iron ball, at Chicago-area college the school said in a statement.
Roser was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the statement.
Roser was a 2016 graduate of Mason High School in Ohio, where he played soccer, according to MaxPreps.com.
"Our hearts are heavy as we absorb the news about this tragedy. All of Roser's family and friends are in our thoughts as we mourn together," Mason City Schools spokeswoman Tracey Carson said in a statement to WCPO.
“We are deeply grieved, but, because of our faith in Christ, not without hope," Wheaton College President Philip Ryken’s said in a statement. "We ask people to pray for Ethan's family, his friends and our campus community."
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