Tragedy strikes track championships

Tragedy struck the Big Ten Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships this Saturday as Penn State sophomore Kevin Dare landed on his head while pole vaulting. The 19-year-old Dare did not regain consciousness after the fall. \nWhile attempting a jump of 15-7, Dare fell backward and hit headfirst onto the "box." The box is the place where the pole is planted and is about eight inches deep and made of metal.\n"He swung upside down and sort of stalled with his jump," Minnesota assistant coach Mario Sategna said in a press release. "It looked like he became disoriented and didn't know where he was. I believe he thought he had cleared the bar and was on the other side of it."\nEmergency medical technicians on the scene of the injury treated him. He was moved to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival because of fatal head trauma.\nThe pole vault event was canceled, but the meet was scheduled to go on as a majority of the coaches elected to continue, including Penn State coach Harry Groves. The coach did allow his athletes the option to continue to compete or withdraw. \nThis morning was a different story.\n"After deciding the meet would go on last night, I think everyone involved was given time to sleep on it, and things changed," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said in a press release. "The coaches were given time to interact with their athletes, and I think it was realized the number of athletes that were not going to compete or were not sure."\nAfter the accident, there was a moment of silence given for Dare before the 3000-meter run and the distance medley relay. At noon Sunday, the athletes of the Big Ten honored him both at the men's championship and at the women's championship in Pennsylvania. In Minnesota, the athletes gathered around the track as coach Groves spoke. \nDare was an accomplished pole vaulter. Last June, he won the pole vault at the U.S. Track and Field Junior National Championships. He cleared a height of 16-6 3/4. \nWith that victory, Dare was able to compete in a meet between Team USA and Great Britain. He also won that event. \n"Kevin was a great athlete, and he had a great future in front of him," Groves said in a press release. "Our team is devastated losing one of their best friends. I've been around track a long time and probably seen a million vaults, and I've never seen anything like this, so it will be hard for everybody to get through."\nDare's brother is on the track and field team and throws the javelin. He also plays on the football team.