Breaking Ground
The University of Cincinnati has broken ground on its new indoor practice facility and performance center on the site of the former Sheakley Athletics Center. The facility includes a 120-yard football field, which will also be used by other UC programs, and is scheduled for completion by fall 2024. Meanwhile, a 96,000-square-foot performance center that includes football offices, nutrition stations, a weight room and mental health services, among many other features, is expected to be completed by fall 2025.
Kansas State athletics announced in May that construction commenced on a new indoor track and field complex, as the department will transition the original indoor football building to a new facility for track and field. Wildcat athletes are expected to begin training in the new facility in December. The department will fund the project, which will cost approximately $12 million, through private gifts and department reserves. Mondo will provide the new 200-meter, 6-lane, permanent-banked oval track. Phase two of the project will include a new exterior facade on the north end of the building, as well as new locker rooms, team rooms and training rooms.
First Pitch
Rendering courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh
A planned $240 million, 240,000-square-foot arena and sports performance center at the University of Pittsburgh will be the new home for Pitt gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling, and 16 of Pitt’s 19 varsity teams will train there. The entrance to the new arena will feature a Panther statue moved from the Petersen Events Center. A pedestrian bridge that passes over the entrance plaza to the arena’s green roof will light up to signify events or Pitt victories within the building. Construction is scheduled to begin in late spring, with completion expected around November 2025.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has announced the $102 million Phase I of its Facilities Master Vision, which features the first expansion of Jerry Richardson Stadium, a design already underway for a new softball clubhouse, and recently completed upgrades to the football locker room. The stadium expansion will enhance the fan experience by offering club seating, loge boxes, hospitality suites, an outdoor terrace and a mezzanine club, to complement the traditional press suite level. Locker rooms for both the 49ers’ men’s and women’s basketball programs will undergo substantial renovations to heighten the student-athlete experience. The new layouts will create more space and seating, as well as player lounges and meeting space. UNCC athletics’ Facilities Master Vision project is led by design and architecture firm HOK and local firm Jenkins-Peer Architects.
Grand Openings
The new Jets Sports Complex at Jackson College, a public college in Jackson County, Mich., opened in June. The complex includes improved facilities for the school’s baseball and softball teams, including upgraded seating, press boxes, dugouts and lighting for the ball fields, as well as a new building with concessions stands, restrooms and storage. Soccer teams also benefit from paved walkways and nearby restrooms.
The new Erie Hall at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College is open after 18 months of construction and more than a decade of planning and preparation. The $28.2 million project, which began in September 2021, was funded in part by Behrend students, who contributed nearly 40 percent of the project cost. The 52,700-square-foot building features a three-court gymnasium, fitness and aerobics rooms, training space and support for the college’s NCAA Division III baseball, softball, tennis, cross-country, track and field, and wrestling teams.
