Feb. 24, 2002
MINNEAPOLIS -- Due to the tragic death of Penn State University pole vaulter Kevin Dare on the opening day of the Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, the remainder of the meet has been cancelled it was announced this morning by Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany. The meet will not be rescheduled.
"The decision has been made to cancel the competition," Delany said. "At 12 p.m., the coaches and student-athletes will gather in a memorial service. The women's meet being held at Penn State will also stop and recognize the tragedy at 12 p.m. as well.
"After deciding the meet would go on last night, I think everyone involved was given time to sleep on it and things changed. 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."
A memorial service will be held at noon on the track. The student- athletes will encircle the track followed by a moment of silence. Delany and Penn State Head Coach Harry Groves will speak at the ceremony.
"We had a team meeting last night and most of the athletes felt that they could not continue," Groves said. "We could honor Kevin by either competing or canceling the meet, but I don't think anybody's heart would be in it. The intensity of the athletes competing yesterday had been lost. I think this was a good decision.
"Kevin was a great athlete and he had a great future in front of him. Our team is devastated losing one of their best friends. I've been around track along 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."
Dare died Saturday while competing in the pole vault competition. A sophomore from State College, Dare, 19, fell during a vault attempt and hit his head on the ground at approximately 2:40 p.m. CT. After being treated by EMTs on site at the University of Minnesota Field House, he was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center where he was pronounced dead a short time later as a result of a fatal head trauma.