“He had a lot of things going for him, and it’s just a tragedy,” Tigers cross country coach Craig Penny said. “For me, it is hard to process why bad things happen to good people.”
Urbana Police Division Sgt. Dave Reese handled the crash just after 1 a.m. and said Gage’s car lost control on U.S. 55, just west of U.S. 68. He added that it is a dangerous stretch of road.
“It’s a 55 mph zone, and they come up on the curve and they don’t recognize the curve until they are already into it, so we do get several accidents out here,” Reese said.
Gage was driving, was thrown from his vehicle and died at the scene of the accident, according to reports.
Hundreds of students gathered at the Weaver Chapel on Wittenberg’s campus Thursday morning to remember the student-athlete, including his roommate and teammate Kevin Stewart, of Springfield.
“I know he impacted my life,” Stewart said. “He’ll be missed.”
Stewart transferred to Wittenberg this year and said Gage welcomed him into a home he owned without even meeting him.
“He was one of my best friends, so it’s not going to be the same at all,” Stewart said. “I’ll remember him the rest of my life.”
Many of Gage’s friends talked at Thursday’s memorial about a picture he sent out the night before he died, which had a “signature Chase smile,” he said.
“I keep imagining him walking in the back door, screaming my name as loud as he can, because he did it everyday,” Stewart said.
Stewart said Gage had a outgoing personality and was always full of energy and enjoyed lifting, running and playing Frisbee golf, or what they called “frof.”
“He was always outside,” Stewart said.
Penny said this tragedy was a loss for the entire Wittenberg cross country “family.”
“He would bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to things,” he said. “This was a year, his junior year, we were going to count on him quite a bit to step up and be a big part of what we are trying to do as we move forward.”
Gage’s family had a long history at the university, Penny said. His parents were student-athletes at the school and he was working to become the fifth generation in his family to graduate from Wittenberg.
Gage was also active in the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Student Alumni Board.
Wittenberg officials said the school hoping to host more events to celebrate Gage’s life and will notify the community when those are scheduled.
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