Texas A&M’s nationally-ranked track and field program will have a new outdoor venue to call home soon following the approval of new stadium projects by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents in April of 2016.
Designs for the new track and field facility, which will be a 52,000 square foot complex, includes a nine-lane sprint and hurdle straightaway down the middle of an Olympic standard nine-lane running oval along with dual field event area. Longer throwing events will utilize the grass infield of the current training facility.
The facility, along with the adjacent new softball stadium, is expected to be completed prior to the start of the 2018 outdoor season.
“We appreciate the support and cooperation from the Regents, Chancellor Sharp, President Young and the Texas A&M administration as we move forward with these important projects,” Director of Athletics Scott Woodward said. “This is a sincere commitment by our institution and our donors to both softball and track & field. Both of these programs have waited for quite some time for these new facilities, and I know our coaches and student-athletes are extremely excited.”
“I think it’s a very fan-friendly facility,” said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry, who is in his 12th year with the program. “It’s designed for the fan, it’s designed for the people who really want to watch every event in track and field. It’s has a little different layout. We’ll have the discus, hammer and javelin on the existing grass field we have right now, so that makes a great venue for the throwing events. You will be able to watch from the stands or even walk over to that area.
“We will have nice locker rooms and office areas. The concession stands will be very nice, similar to the construction they have done at Blue Bell Park. It’s going to look like Texas A&M, so we are excited about all those features.”
The new stadium will have an initial seating capacity of 3,000 fans, complete with hospitality amenities, press box, full broadcast capabilities and service areas. It will also have team meeting rooms, locker rooms, a training room, official’s quarters, and equipment storage.
The facility will be built to host events at the collegiate and high school levels, as well as conference and national championships along with Olympic qualifying events. Total cost of the project is $39.8 million and will be located adjacent to the current track complex. By design, the current outdoor track will remain in place to serve as a full practice and warm-up facility for the new competitive venue, which makes Texas A&M’s new complex unique in the United States.
This past fall the Aggies hosted the SEC Cross Country Championships and the NCAA South Central region meet on its new cross country facility. A&M’s indoor facility will host the NCAA Championships the next two years along with the SEC Indoor meet in 2018. The last time the Aggies hosted an outdoor conference meet was in 2001 when the Big 12 Championships were held in College Station.
“We’re looking forward to hosting championships outdoors,” noted Henry. “Bringing a conference meet to College Station, I think people are going to see the best track and field in the world when that happens. Just like indoors, when we fill the building up for a big meet it will be an exciting venue.”
The Aggies have not held any outdoor meet on campus since 2004 when the Frank G. Anderson Track & Field Complex, which was built in 1986, hosted the Midwest Region collegiate meet in May of that year followed by the USATF Junior Championships in June.
“As anybody who follows our program knows we’ve not had a home competition in 12 years here,” stated Henry. “In that time frame we’ve won eight national outdoor championships and those kids never got to run on their own campus.
“So, this is a very welcome addition to our program. We’ve had the worst track in the SEC and previously in the Big 12. As most might understand it might be a little difficult to recruit sometimes to that kind of situation. We’ve worked very hard in recruiting and have worked very hard to develop our team. We’ve been very fortunate to get some things done.
“Having a new facility will never make recruiting easier, but it gives our kids a home. It gives them somewhere they can call their own. We’ll get to have our own outdoor meets at home. We’ll get to do some things a regular school and program get to do. We’re really looking forward to that. This staff and our team are excited about having a place we can call home.”
“The fact that Coach Pat Henry and the men’s and women’s track & field teams have won eight national championships without competing at an outdoor home meet is unbelievable,” Woodward said. “Our student-athletes deserve a championship-caliber home and the opportunity to compete in front of the 12th Man and our local community. The facility will be built to host events ranging from high school, regional and collegiate meets, as well as NCAA and Olympic qualifier events. This project will have a positive impact on Bryan-College Station and the surrounding area.”
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics