University Of Dayton Continues Major Upgrades To Athletic Facilities; Charts Strategic Course

Dayton Adding Women's Lacrosse In 2016

DAYTON, Ohio, July 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The University of Dayton is embarking on four major initiatives that will continue to elevate its nationally prominent athletics program.

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The Flyers will add women's lacrosse as an intercollegiate sport, and the University will seek private support to make major renovations to three facilities, part of a multi-phase enhancement to all athletic facilities that began 15 years ago. Those strategic investments have reaped results: Dayton has won more championships in that time frame than in any other period in history and has ranked among the nation's best in graduating its student-athletes.

The initiatives are:

• The construction of a 10,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Athletic Performance Center in Reichard Hall. The 1,800-square-foot basketball weight room at the Donoher Center will be relocated to this facility, which will be just steps away from other major athletic facilities on campus — Baujan Field, the Frericks Center and the Cronin Center.
• The modernization of the Donoher Basketball Center with upgrades to technology, locker rooms and meeting spaces for Flyer basketball and football teams. 
• The continued renovation of the Frericks Center, home of the nationally ranked volleyball team. A new locker room, enhanced game-day and practice environments, an atrium and improved offices are part of the plan.
• The addition of women's lacrosse as an intercollegiate sport beginning in the 2016 spring season. Lacrosse is the fastest-growing team sport in the U.S., according to the most recent research by Sports Marketing Surveys USA. Its addition will give Dayton 18 intercollegiate sports. 

"We have invested substantially during the last 15 years in facilities where our sport programs compete and train," said Tim Wabler, vice president and director of athletics. "We are giving our student-athletes and coaches the tools they need to get better every day. These projects will provide our student-athletes with the support they need to compete successfully on the fields and courts — and in the classroom."

The investment in athletics is part of a larger picture at the University of Dayton, where the pace of change is among the most rapid and substantial seen at any American university. During a decade of remarkable growth, the University has invested more than $350 million in dozens of projects ranging from the transformation of NCR Corp.'s former world headquarters into a highly visible home for the renowned University of Dayton Research Institute to the construction of new residential facilities and the modernization of all others on the highly residential campus.  The University will launch a new undergraduate general education curriculum in the fall, after investing in new faculty positions and courses.

"These new athletic projects, which will be supported largely through private support, are part of our long-range strategic plan of creating a strong learning-living environment on campus for all students," said Daniel J. Curran, University of Dayton president.

In the past 15 years, the on-campus home for every Flyer team has been either newly constructed or renovated — 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 has come from private donations and corporate support.

"From the iconic University of Dayton Arena — the most-used venue in NCAA men's basketball tournament history — to the new Cronin Center that serves as a practice facility for all our intercollegiate teams, we believe our facilities are on par with the best in the nation," Wabler said.

SOURCE University of Dayton