The Lehigh Athletics Division introduced plans for the renovation and enlargement of the Goodman Campus Athletic Complicated, on account of an $eight million donation from the mother and father of a present Lehigh pupil athlete. 

The reward, which Lehigh introduced in a memo on Aug. 16, will present for the renovation and enlargement of the Cundey Varsity Home and permit the college to proceed growing plans for a brand new indoor facility that can allow athletes to coach all yr spherical.

In line with the memo, Lehigh Athletics requires $30 million whole in donations to totally notice its renovation and enlargement imaginative and prescient.

Pending board approval, Lehigh Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett mentioned he anticipates the development on the Cundey Varsity Home to start in early April of subsequent yr. He expects the challenge to take about 18 months. The athletic division will then look to boost sufficient cash to start building on the brand new indoor facility, which can take 10 to 12 months to finish.  

Sterrett mentioned he believes each tasks might be accomplished by fall 2024, giving some present pupil athletes and the overall pupil physique the chance to make use of them.

Sterrett mentioned these amenities will enable for the event of Lehigh athletes, not solely as athletes however as college students and human beings. 

An $eight million reward launches Lehigh’s athletic enlargement. Lehigh’s athletic amenities and fields are primarily positioned at Goodman Campus. (Ruoxuan Li/B&W workers)

“Your schooling as a pupil is enhanced you probably have high quality amenities to work in, and for the preparation of athletes, it’s very a lot the identical,” Sterrett mentioned. 

After renovations, the Cundey Varsity Home will supply a bigger sports activities medication house, an expanded power coaching space, a pitching and hitting facility, a pupil athlete diet lounge and new locker facilities, Lehigh Athletics introduced within the memo. The brand new indoor facility will home a roughly 94,000-square-foot turf subject, which is massive sufficient to accommodate a number of groups at a time. 

Sophomore Maria City, a pitcher on the softball group, mentioned these renovations will assist her group observe and put together for his or her season higher. 

City mentioned the softball and baseball groups would often observe indoors within the Rauch Fieldhouse, which is house to the observe and subject group. She mentioned this resulted in scheduling challenges, and that the group would generally need to observe early within the morning or late at evening. 

“I believe when it comes to group tradition, it would assist the athletic division as a complete,” City mentioned. “It’ll undoubtedly make folks nearer.”

An $eight million reward launches Lehigh’s athletic enlargement. Lehigh’s athletic amenities and fields are primarily positioned at Goodman Campus. (Ruoxuan Li/B&W workers)

She mentioned having a separate facility might be helpful as a result of groups gained’t be in one another’s methods and timing for practices might be higher.

Within the decision-making course of for renovation and enlargement, Sterrett mentioned there’s a committee composed of workers members within the athletic division, a pupil athlete improvement group and a campus planning group. They work collectively to acknowledge enhancements or modifications which might be wanted to raise the coed athlete expertise. 

“This entire emphasis on holistic improvement of our athletes could be very central to what we do,” Sterrett mentioned. “These amenities will give us extra space to do extra integration of groups and athletes and coaches in order that we get some synergies throughout our applications.”

Michael Garzillo, director of improvement for athletics, mentioned these amenities will enable groups to stay aggressive and lift their ranges of coaching. 

They may even support the college in recruiting and retaining extra high-level athletes.

“They’ll give our program leaders much more alternatives to develop a championship tradition,” Garzillo mentioned. 

City mentioned she thinks the brand new renovations may even give extra recognition to sports activities similar to softball and baseball on campus.

Sterrett and Garzillo each mentioned they’re most excited to present student-athletes expanded alternatives.

“We wish to give athletes a greater probability to turn into the very best model of themselves as a pupil, as a pacesetter, as an individual, a citizen of our neighborhood and to arrange them for postgraduate life,” Sterrett mentioned. “These amenities will give us the chance to try this in a really distinctive method.”