New Projects: Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence, Rock Hill Sports and Event Center

Breaking Ground

The University of Texas at San Antonio recently broke ground on the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence. The 95,000-square-foot, $41.5 million project will feature nearly 7,000 square feet of academic support space, a sports medicine center, a 14,000-square-foot strength and conditioning center, two parallel football practice fields, a 7,500-square-foot football locker room, and multiple meeting rooms. Architecture firms Populous and MarmonMok collaborated on the design. The facility is expected to be completed in September 2021.

Louisiana Tech began construction on new athletics facilities to replace those destroyed by an April 2019 tornado that ripped through Ruston, La. The school will build a new baseball stadium, a combined soccer and softball facility, and an independent softball complex. Designed by Tim Brandon and Associates, the school expects each facility to be completed prior to the beginning of each sport's respective 2021 season.

First Pitch

Virginia Commonwealth University purchased nearly 11 acres of land upon which it plans to build its VCU Athletics Village. The project will create a multipurpose facility, with an indoor/outdoor tennis center, practice fields and a new hub for the baseball team, while freeing up current athletic department operations spaces for academic use.

San Diego State University received approval from the California State University Board of Trustees for the design and financing plan of its multi-use Aztec Stadium project in Mission Valley. The $310 million project will be funded through philanthropic gifts, as well as system-wide revenue bonds. The 35,000-seat Aztec Stadium is being designed to meet LEED Gold standards.

Grand Openings

Oregon State University recently opened its remodeled P. Wayne Valley Sports Performance Center. The $3.64 million upgrade brought 22 tons of new weight equipment into the facility, as well as fully integrated audio/visual capabilities, an expanded turf field and a new student-athlete fueling station.

The Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in Rock Hill, S.C., recently postponed its grand opening due to the coronavirus outbreak. The 170,000-square-foot facility features a 1,200-seat championship competition court for basketball and volleyball, a larger main court area with 700 permanent courtside seats, a walking track, a multipurpose room, concessions stands and locker rooms.

This article originally appeared in the May 2020 issue of Athletic Business with the title "Forward Progress." Athletic Business is a free magazine for professionals in the athletic, fitness and recreation industry. Click here to subscribe.