Dedication Held For UD's Olsen Athletics Performance Center
University Officials Unveil Dayton's New Multimillion-Dollar, 10,000-Square-Foot, State-Of-The-Art Training Facility
DAYTON, Ohio, Dec. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Dayton division of athletics held a dedication for its new multimillion-dollar, 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art training facility, the Olsen Athletics Performance Center, this Thursday. In less than 18 months, the University conceived, funded and completed the $2.1 million facility.
A leadership commitment from Dr. Tom Olsen and Mrs. Mary Boosalis, combined with additional support of 27 alumni and friends from around the country, allowed for the renovation of the Olsen Athletics Performance Center.
As medical professionals who have supported University of Dayton athletics for more than 15 years, Olsen and Boosalis have always focused on the development of Flyer student-athletes. As husband and wife, they recognize the value of creating opportunities to win championships for all Flyer athletics teams. Their philanthropic generosity has supported multitude of projects ranging from facilities, sport program support and recruiting needs.
The Olsen Athletics Performance Center positively impacts all 17 of the University's sports. This renovation allows all of the University's nearly 450 student-athletes to train, practice and study within a 500-foot radius.
"We are very grateful for the support Tom and Mary have provided for our student-athletes over the years," University of Dayton Vice President and Director of Athletics Tim Wabler said. "We're extremely happy to be able to publicly recognize them with the naming of the Olsen Athletics Performance Center. Across the board, our athletics program has never been more successful, and their continued support is a big reason why.
"The Olsen Performance Center puts all of our training facilities under one roof, and provides the means for our teams to reach even greater heights in the future."
Olsen, a board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist, is a physician with Dermatologists of Southwest Ohio Inc. and a member of 11 medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Society of Dermatologic Surgery, Ohio Dermatological Association and the American Society of Dermatopathology.
Boosalis is currently the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Premier Health, southwest Ohio's largest healthcare system. She became the first female president and chief executive officer in Miami Valley Hospital's 115-year history in 2006. At Miami Valley Hospital, she is known for her work renewing the campus and initiating the MVH south campus master plan. Boosalis has worked many years alongside the University of Dayton and the city of Dayton in developing the Brown Street corridor. She has served on the University of Dayton's board of trustees since July of 2009.
The Olsen Athletics Performance Center focuses on student-athlete strength and conditioning development as well as nutrition. The 1,800-square-foot basketball weight room at the Donoher Center was also relocated to this facility, which is just steps away from other major athletic facilities on campus — Baujan Field, the Frericks Center and the Cronin Center.
"The value that we put in training our players can't be measured, it's so vital to our success. Not only will we be training in one of the finest facilities in the nation, but also our players now will benefit from training, studying and living all about 500 feet from one another," said Archie Miller, head coach of the Dayton men's basketball team.
The added amenities of this facility include:
- 20 half racks with inlaid platforms, specially mounted into the floor allowing multidimensional use of this space
- Assortment of (leg press, high rows, chest press, etc.) 20 different plate-loaded Hammer/Pendulum machines
- Two separate racks of dumbbells ranging from 5 - 120 lbs.
- 20 yards x 5 yards of "short sprint" turf area
- Nutrition area to pick up pre/post workout bars, shakes and/or fruit, maximizing UD's Pepsi/Gatorade contract
- Touch screen 55-inch interactive record board
- 45,000+ lbs of free weights (iron plates, bumpers, and dumbbells)
- State-of-the-art sound system
"The Olsen Center is one of the largest and best-equipped performance enhancement centers in the country," said Joe Owens, University of Dayton associate director of athletics for performance enhancement. "The nutrition center adds huge value to our program and takes this facility to a whole new level. Our student-athletes will be healthier and our teams will be even more competitive because they train in a facility that has been designed and built to suit every aspect of strength and conditioning."
According to data from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the Olsen Athletics Performance Center is in the upper fourth quartile in size of all strength and conditioning facilities nationwide (including Division I-A schools). The center has nearly twice as many Olympic lifting platform areas as the national average.
This is the latest of many investments the University has made in its athletics facilities. In addition to the construction of the Olsen Athletics Performance Center, Riggs Academic Center and the Cronin Center, the on-campus home for every Flyer team has been either newly constructed or renovated in the last 15 years — Baujan Field (soccer), Frericks Center (volleyball), Graul Tennis Complex (tennis), UD Softball Stadium (softball), Woerner Field at Time Warner Cable Stadium (baseball) and University of Dayton Arena (basketball). More than 85 percent of the funding for the upgrades has come from private donations and corporate support.
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SOURCE University of Dayton Athletics
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