{"id":9285,"date":"2018-11-01T09:21:08","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T14:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=9285"},"modified":"2018-11-14T08:40:20","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T14:40:20","slug":"saints-continue-growth-of-new-sports-programs-and-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/saints-continue-growth-of-new-sports-programs-and-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Saints Continue Growth of New Sports Programs and Facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Saints athletic department is taking strides to keep pace with the overall campus growth by offering new sport programs, constructing new athletic fields and renovating existing facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident (Mark) Lombardi talks about how Maryville continues to grow in regard to student population and academic programs and how the footprint of campus is expanding,\u201d says Lonnie Folks, director of Maryville\u2019s athletics and recreation. \u201cIn athletic administration, you can\u2019t ask for anything more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just in the past quarter, Maryville has:
\n\u2022\tAdded stadium seating to the soccer field
\n\u2022\tConstructed a new track encircling the soccer field
\n\u2022\tStarted construction of athletic fields property adjacent to campus
\n\u2022\tInvested in construction of a new hockey rink in Chesterfield<\/p>\n

\u201cOur university has grown, and we try to be very strategic with how we add value for the student population,\u201d says Folks, who graduated from Maryville in 1982 and then worked with the Saints as assistant director of athletics, sports information director and head coach for women\u2019s soccer, women\u2019s basketball and softball. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to see construction here for the next few years. It\u2019s out of necessity to keep up with the growth of our programs and our university,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Eight-Lane Track <\/strong>
\nIn the past, track teams at Maryville had to go offsite to host \u201chome\u201d matches and to practice because there wasn\u2019t a track on campus. That changed this summer with the installation of an eight-lane track around the soccer field. The dedication was held during Homecoming Week when alumni were invited to join the current teams for a ceremonial lap around the track. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always had to go offsite to practice,\u201d says Folks. \u201cThis is an opportunity for track, student-athletes to host real home matches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Folks adds the track team hopes to host its first home meets this upcoming spring and that the track is open to all students, faculty and staff for use. <\/p>\n

Development off of Conway Road <\/strong>
\nThe building of lacrosse and softball fields, a locker room and tennis courts on the land next to the practice fields off Conway Road is expected to begin this November. Folks expects the construction to be finished so the fields could be used by the start of the next fall semester, if there are no unexpected delays. <\/p>\n

More fields were needed because there had been times each season of a Maryville team having to move a home contest because the men\u2019s and women\u2019s soccer team along with the men\u2019s lacrosse team were using the same field. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had to move at least one home contest because of multiple matches on the same day\u201d says Folks. \u201cWe can\u2019t have all these teams using it at the same time.\u201d
\nThe women\u2019s lacrosse team will also be using the lone soccer\/lacrosse field when their season begins next spring. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s trying to match the growth of our programs,\u201d says Folks. \u201cOnce finished, we will have facilities for all of our programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hockey Rink<\/strong>
\nAnother new program at Maryville, the men\u2019s hockey club, will break ground on a new rink this November. <\/p>\n

An 84,000 square-foot facility with two sheets of ice will be constructed in Chesterfield. Maryville will be the exclusive university to call it their home ice. <\/p>\n

\"Maryville's<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are becoming an unbelievable community partner,\u201d says Folks. \u201cIt\u2019ll be good for West County and good for Chesterfield. People are thrilled to partner with Maryville and hockey will be no exception.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rink is expected to be finished by late summer or early fall of 2019. The Saints currently plays its home games in Affton. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had a good fan base in Affton, but once we get the new facility, then attendance will go up even more so,\u201d says Folks. <\/p>\n

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