19-year old Ethan Hatke has died after a swim practice in New Jersey.
Hatke is a sophomore at Virginia Tech, though he wasn’t a member of the school’s varsity swim team, and was back home in New Jersey for winter break. Shortly after a training session with the Eastern Express team in Princeton, his former club team, Hatke collapsed and later died at a hospital.
A statement from his former team called him a “model citizen” who was an “inspiration to all who knew him.” He was a captain of the Hopewell Valley Central High School Team before leaving for college, and coached the summer league team at the Hopewell Valley Golf Club.
Ethan was truly a model citizen within our swimming community. Throughout his seven years with Eastern Express, Ethan’s positive attitude and compassion for others were a constant source of inspiration to all who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ethan’s parents, sister, and all of his family and friends.
According to his father Erik in a story on NJ.com, Hatke had “no known medical problems,” and “was in excellent physical shape.” His father said that Ethan suffered from some sort of cardiac death, but that tests were still being run to determine the exact cause.
Services for Ethan Hatke will be this Sunday, January 3rd from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Blackwell Memorial Home, located at 21 North Main Street in Pennington, NJ.
We will all miss you Ethan – a beautiful soul inside and out. Sleep well buddy xxxxxx
Sorry if there’s a thumbs-down on your comment EEX, I accidentally clicked it. I tried to undo it, but I wasn’t sure it it worked. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that your comment is very nice. 🙂 Ethan was a great person. I’m praying for the Hatke family as they go through this difficult time.