The University of Wyoming is two months into construction on its new aquatics center, with the state-of-the-art facility scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2026.
GE Johnson Construction Company broke ground on the project on November 5, just under one year after SwimSwam reported that Wyoming Athletics had reached approximately 75% of its funding goal ($20 million). That coupled with the $120 million contributed by the state of Wyoming in order to construct the new natatorium along with completing renovations on War Memorial Stadium.
The University of Wyoming is two months into construction on its new aquatics center, with the state-of-the-art facility scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2026.
GE Johnson Construction Company broke ground on the project on November 5, just under one year after SwimSwam reported that Wyoming Athletics had reached approximately 75% of its funding goal ($20 million). That coupled with the $120 million contributed by the state of Wyoming in order to construct the new natatorium along with completing renovations on War Memorial Stadium.
Despite being a competitive NCAA Division I mid-major program, the Wyoming swim & dive teams currently train out of the John Corbett Building, which features an L-shaped 25-meter by 25-yard pool. However, the teams have been hosting home meets at Laramie High School, which offers more deck space. [Swim Swam]
The top Democrat in the Mississippi House of Representatives recently proposed legislation to build a new home for Jackson State University (JSU) athletics.
Jackson and University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) leaders have wanted to use the property currently home to JSU’s football stadium for more medical facility space. Several proposals to tear down Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium for UMMC and build a new stadium for JSU flatlined in recent years. However, 2025 may be the year both goals are set into motion if the Mississippi Legislature passes Representative Robert L. Johnson III’s (D-District 94) bill.
The proposal allocates $40 million from the state to build a multipurpose athletic facility for JSU. The subsequent construction could formally begin as early as July 1 under Johnson’s proposal.
The two-page bill is largely empty of details. For instance, it does not specify where the new JSU athletic facility should be built. It also does not address the fate of the old football stadium on North State Street. [WJTV]
A developer here is planning a $100 million indoor youth sports complex that he hopes will draw teams from throughout the Midwest, lured by fields and courts — plus a hotel, restaurants, retail and an open-air “bourbon garden.”
Anandkumar Patel’s vision mirrors a trend occurring across the country. No longer are developers only envisioning converting large swathes of land into pristine soccer or baseball fields.
Instead, they are pursuing what the industry calls “purpose-built youth sports development anchors” — large-scale, elaborate projects that offer far more than a place for athletic competition.
“We think this facility will truly be a one-of-a-kind,” Patel said.
His proposal, which he is calling the O’Fallon Sports Center, envisions a 160,000-square-foot multi-sport building, including soccer fields, basketball courts, plus volleyball and even gymnastics, to be built near Bryan Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway. It goes before the O’Fallon City Council on Thursday. The city’s zoning commission has backed it unanimously. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
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