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| Posted 01.17.06 |
Turf's Up! New Synthetic Field to Open in Spring
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Thanks to more than $920,000 in private donations, including one from a
notable alumnus, Wesleyan will install a new synthetic turf field in hopes
of having it ready for play this spring.
The field will be located on the grounds of the former Long Lane School and
provide a competitive playing surface for Wesleyan’s varsity lacrosse and
field hockey teams, as well as foul-weather practice space for other varsity
sports including football and soccer. Baseball and softball teams will also
use the field for pre-season practice in late February when Bacon Field
House becomes overcrowded. The field will be available for selected club
sports, intramural play, sport camps and some use by the local community, as
well.
Wesleyan is installing the field in part to maintain a competitive edge with
peer schools in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
“The sport of field hockey in particular has adopted synthetic turf as the
surface of choice,” says John Biddiscombe, Wesleyan’s director of athletics
and chair of physical education. “The synthetic turf provides a faster, more
exciting game for participants and spectators. High schools throughout the
country are moving field hockey games and practices from grass to synthetic
surfaces and soon high school players will come to Wesleyan with an
expectation to play on the artificial surface.”
The same can be said for lacrosse.
More than 160 alumni and parents earmarked donations for the field,
including one of Wesleyan’s more famous former lacrosse players, Bill
Belichick, ’75. Belichick is coach of the New England Patriots and father of
Amanda, ‘07, who is a varsity lacrosse player.
The field will be composed of Polytan Megagrass 2025. The project is
scheduled for completion by April of this year. Wesleyan is hoping raise an
additional $300,000 to outfit the field with lights, bleachers, a
scoreboard, protective netting and other amenities.
Several alumni, parents and friends of the university have been actively
involved in helping to raise the funding for the field, including Moira Byer
P'06, David Campbell '75, P'10, Michael and Marilyn Dee P'06, Mike McKenna
’73, Preston Smith '64, P'06, Jim Walsh P'07 and Cole and Katherine Werble
P'07. |
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| By David Pesci, director
of Media Relations |
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