New Projects: Young Family Athletic Center, Training Center at U. of Delaware

Breaking Ground

Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., has announced upcoming projects funded by a gift from former head football coach Joe Moglia, who retired in 2018. The contribution enables CCU to begin design work on an indoor practice facility, expanded football facilities and a proposed south end zone project. The money will also complete funding for a new stadium for the men's and women's soccer programs. Design work and construction began in September, and the project is anticipated to wrap in time for the 2023 season. The new soccer venue will be on CCU's East Campus. Moglia and the university did not disclose the amount of the gift.

The City of Norman, Okla., broke ground on the $36 million Young Family Athletic Center, named after the family of former Oklahoma and current Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.

The 122,000-square-foot center will include eight basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, a 25-meter swimming pool, a warm-up pool and a 25,000-square-foot space for athletic training and physical therapy. The project received a $4 million donation toward construction costs from Young and is expected to be complete in 2023.

Officials broke ground in late August on the fitness field at Linwood Public Charter School in Shreveport, La. The project was funded with a $25,000 donation from Healthy Blue, Louisiana's Medicaid health plan, to the David Raines Community Health Center. The gift will fund the addition of a softball field to the Linwood Public Charter School's campus, with growth potential for future projects.

The Linwood Fitness Field will promote health and wellness outside of the classroom for more than 1,000 students.

First Pitch

Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., is receiving $10 million to use toward enhancing its Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The funds are part of a more than $40 million pledge — the largest single pledge in the university's history — from alum Michael Pascucci. The area of campus that includes the stadium and the Christy Mathewson Gates will be named the Pascucci Family Athletics Complex, with the name displayed on a new video board at the stadium. The 25-by-50-foot high-definition video board will heighten the experience for fans of Bison football, lacrosse, and track and field.

The new Michael C. Pascucci Team Center and a synthetic turf practice field are expected to open in 2023. The center will increase training and practice space for several Bucknell men's and women's teams.

Grand Openings

[Photo courtesy of UD Athletics Department]

The 90,000-square-foot Whitney Athletic Center at the University of Delaware in Newark recently opened for Blue Hen training and academics. The facility houses sports performance on the first floor: athletic training, hydrotherapy, performance nutrition, sport psychology, sports medicine and a 10,000-square-foot weight room. The second floor houses a center for student success that includes study space, advisers, career readiness and leadership development offices.

[Photos courtesy of Northwestern College]

Northwestern College's volleyball team debuted a new gym floor inside the Bultman Center on Sept. 29 against Dakota Wesleyan. The court in Orange City, Iowa, is the new competition home for Northwestern's volleyball, wrestling, and men's and women's basketball teams. The project also includes brand new bleachers and lighting.

Named after John and Ann Den Hartog of Den Hartog Industries, the floor is part of the first phase of planned Northwestern College athletics renovations, which including the $2.25 million remodel of the Bultman Center, which was originally built in 1995.

This article originally appeared in the October 2021 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.