Xavier College Preparatory, founded in 1943, is an all-girls' Roman Catholic high school located in a densely populated urban area. With a student body of 1,200, the school was in need of field space for soccer, lacrosse, softball, and physical fitness activities and programs. In the early 2000s, Xavier began acquiring property south and east of its campus to add, among other amenities, a field and athletic building. When Petznick Field and the McGroder Athletic Building were finished in November 2011, Xavier became the first school in Arizona to have a complete synthetic turf soccer, lacrosse and softball field.
Petznick Field is a 93,000-square-foot surface permanently lined for all three sports. Two sets of bleachers surround the field — one on the south side accommodating 500 soccer and/or lacrosse fans, and one on the northwest corner to seat 350 softball fans.
Netting surrounds the softball diamond to help contain soccer and lacrosse balls, and five strategically placed light poles are programmed to meet light level requirements for each specific sport. Programmable water cannons are used to cool the turf as required.
The athletic facility is the first of a multiple-phase project. Phase two, set for completion in summer 2012, is an 80,000-square-foot building located just east of the athletic field containing a chapel, a cafeteria, administrative offices and classrooms.
Caven Lacrosse Sports Complex at Clark Field
