A college student has died after being struck during a hammer-throw event at an event in suburban Chicago.

Wheaton College officials say 19-year-old student Ethan Roser of Cincinnati was volunteering at a track and field competition at the school on Saturday when he was accidentally struck by a hammer. The hammer used in such competitions is a metal ball attached to a steel wire. The hammer weighs as much as 16lbs (7kg).

“We are deeply grieved, but, because of our faith in Christ, not without hope,” Wheaton College president Philip Ryken said in a statement. “We ask people to pray for Ethan’s family, his friends, and our campus community.”

The college says Roser was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where he was pronounced dead.

Other details about the accident weren’t immediately released. School officials say Roser was a freshman from Cincinnati.