ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University's Department of Intercollegiate Athletics today unveiled new plans for facility construction and renovations that will serve its growing population of nearly 400 student-athletes competing on the Bonnies' 19 NCAA Division I teams.

The focal point of the plan is an Athletic Performance Center (APC), which will be built next to the east side of Reilly Center. At a size of 25,647 square feet, the APC will include three main components to support the holistic development of student-athletes: a strength and conditioning center, sports medicine, and a student-athlete lounge with a nutrition station.

The strength and conditioning center will serve all student-athletes. The spacious, high-ceiling center will house the latest weight training, cardiovascular and conditioning equipment. Led by Director of Strength and Conditioning Darryn Fiske, the Bonnies' program is renowned for developing athletes and preparing them for the rigors of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The new APC will triple the current space inside Reilly Center, which is home to strength and conditioning.

Bonnies Sports Medicine will have a new home inside the APC. A large treatment center will feature training tables, rehab equipment, a hydrotherapy room with hot and cold tubs, a physician's exam room and offices for the athletic trainers.

The APC will also include two features not found on campus now: a student-athlete lounge and a nutrition station, making this new addition to the Athletic Department a central gathering place.

Finally, there will be an office suite for the Director of Athletics that will include a conference room and an outdoor terrace that will overlook the Marra Athletics Complex. An entranceway will lead people inside the APC and connect into Reilly Center.

"We're extremely excited to unveil our new facilities plan, with the focal points being the Athletic Performance Center and our new outdoor track and field complex. The Athletic Performance Center will be transformative as we develop our student-athletes, athletically, socially and culturally and place them in positions to win championships," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Bob Beretta, '87. "The APC is a vital component in our strategy to serve all 400 of our student-athletes in a meaningful way. We were very intentional in prioritizing health and wellness as we developed this new plan to help provide a championship experience to all our Bonnie student-athletes. The new sports medicine area, student-athlete lounge and nutrition center will complement the training space and provide our student-athletes with cutting-edge facilities to rest, relax and recover from their daily activities."

The second project will see the construction of an eight-lane competition track on the Marra Athletics Complex, just south of the current multipurpose field. St. Bonaventure has not had a track on campus since Charlie Major track was removed in 2004. The new track will allow the Bonnies' men's and women's distance track teams to add to their rosters and give athletes who compete in sprint, jump and field events a facility of their own on campus.

Inside the track, a second artificial turf field will be built. It will be able to host both practices and competitions, allowing greater access for field time by more teams and decreasing the wear and tear on one facility. The entire track and field will also have state-of-the-art lighting. The fields will be accessible from several directions by new concrete pathways, leading to a shared grandstand with bleachers facing both directions. At the top of the grandstand will be a spacious press box for game broadcasts and operations and an outdoor VIP seating area.

"Expanding our facilities will be vitally important for our student-athletes, especially with so many outdoor teams competing for valuable practice time on the turf," said St. Bonaventure President Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D. "An additional field will allow a more reasonable practice schedule for our teams and ultimately improve the overall experience of students who already need to adhere to challenging academic and athletic schedules."

"We are thrilled with the potential to add an outdoor track and field complex that will serve the entire St. Bonaventure community and provide our student-athletes with a first-rate training environment," said Beretta.

The cost of the two major components is $23 million — $15 million for the APC and $8 for the track with the turf field. All of the athletics facility projects will be funded through philanthropic support or grants. The timetable for construction will depend on fundraising goals being met.

Numerous updates inside Reilly Center are also planned and will be addressed as soon as possible. The most critical need is dedicated locker rooms for every team. After the APC opens, space inside Reilly Center will become available for locker rooms to be built. Renovations to Reilly Center Arena seats are also planned contingent upon funding.

Finally, the Athletic Department has completed fundraising for three facility projects:

• The men's basketball locker room will be renovated starting in the spring at a budget of $800,000.
• Handler Park, home of the Bonnies' baseball team, will see a $1.5 million renovation next summer, adding seating and a new press box behind home plate as well as a new protective netting system.
• In January at the University Fitness Center on West State Street in Olean, artificial turf will be added to a large indoor practice space that will be utilized by the baseball, softball and golf teams. Golf's indoor practice spaces will also receive a facelift with new turf and simulators added to two of the team's three practice bays. All of these projects were funded by private donations.

"The energy surrounding our intercollegiate athletics program is incredible," Beretta said. "That momentum will continue to grow this spring and summer as we finalize our renovations to Handler Park and our men's basketball locker room. Additionally, the continued improvements to the University Fitness Center and Reilly Center will shape the lives of current and future Bonnies for decades into the future."

St. Bonaventure is partnering with Buffalo-based Clark Patterson Lee Architects for the project designs.

If people are interested in making a tax-deductible campaign gift, please contact Steve Mest, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Advancement, at (716) 375-2319 or smest@sbu.edu.