Donors help improve athletic facilities; second phase complete

Student Steven Warhola gets an early morning workout in the new cardiovascular room on the lower level of the Athletics Center.

FITNESS CENTER, WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM,
CARDIOVACULAR ROOM, PILATES/YOGA STUDIO

With the support of an eclectic group of donors, the second phase of athletic facilities upgrades has been completed. According to Dave Murray, director of athletics at the campus, the Athletics Center-- home to the basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams--received the most attention. Improvements included refurbishing the Fitness Center, moving the women’s locker room upstairs and giving it a complete makeover, renovating the downstairs room to make way for cardiovascular equipment, and setting up a pilates/yoga studio. In addition to the indoor amenities, an artificial putting green was installed outside the Athletics Center.

“Alumni and friends have really rallied around our athletics projects,” said Murray, who joined the campus in 2009. “Our students are taking full advantage of the new facilities.”

The Fitness Center houses the heavy weight room and the women’s locker room. The weight room was expanded and currently features selectorized (or pin) weight machines, a squat rack, free weights, and spinner bikes. The locker room was eviscerated and converted into Lady Lions and visitor dressing areas with polished wood lockers, resurfaced floors, freshly painted walls, and rugs with the Penn State athletics symbol--a stylized rendition of the Nittany Lion head in an oval frame--gracing both rooms. The cardiovascular room was moved to its own area on the lower level of the Athletics Center. A rubber floor was installed and light machines, treadmills and exercise bikes were added to give the room the look of a commercial fitness center. The new Pilates/Yoga Studio is a component of the wrestling room that was built last year.

Geared to both students and athletes at the campus, the enhancements were funded by gifts from Roger and Barbara Claypoole, Tad Potter’s Rockwell Family Foundation, Debbie Turnberger’s Honkus-Zollinger Charitable Foundation, and the campus-based Alle-Kiski Alumni Society.

Claypoole’s $10,000 donation went to improving the Fitness Center. The $10,000 Honkus-Zollinger funds were earmarked for the wrestling program and the golf team. The $10,000 Alle-Kiski Alumni Society donation supported the new cardiovascular room. Rockwell’s $12,000 gift provided seed money to launch the wrestling program, and helped to upgrade the women’s locker room. A portion of the Rockwell funds are set aside for the makeover of the men’s locker room.

Phase three of the athletics facilities’ upgrades is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the summer. Improvements include: installing an irrigation system and resurfacing the soccer field; refurbishing the men’s locker room; erecting a driving and chipping cage for golf; and constructing three new offices. Plans for the fourth phase are expected to feature the building of a softball field on campus.

Improving athletics is one of the objectives of the campus’ “For the Future” campaign, a University-wide effort to raise $2 billion by June 2014. The campus is responsible for $3 million of the total. Other objectives reflect the most critical needs for revitalization of our campus, including building a campus of the future that enriches the experiences of students beyond the classroom, and serves the Alle-Kiski Valley community.

Women's locker room.

 
Heavy weight room.                                                           Circuit training room.