Bigger, richer facilities are nothing new in collegiate athletics. From Northwestern's new lakefront football facility to Rutgers - yes Rutgers - plotting a $100m training facility for soccer, lacrosse, and tennis, schools in the Big Ten are plowing piles of cash into their athletic real estate.
Indiana University is part of that trend, announcing last week a $10 million commitment from alumnus Jay Wilkinson to establish a new competitive facility for the University's volleyball and wrestling programs.
"Located in the heart of IU's athletics campus, the new Wilkinson Hall will have an enormous and positive impact for all of our students who participate in intercollegiate athletics as well as the broader IU student body," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie. "Consistent with the university's master plan, this state-of-the-art, indoor, multipurpose arena will bring volleyball and wrestling back to the athletics campus, support year-round training for all of our students, and improve campus life with increased student fan accessibility for volleyball and wrestling matches."
Wilkinson Hall, as the facility will be named, will include a 2,500-3,000 seat arena, moving both teams from their current home in University Gym. The facility will house practice facility for volleyball, and will put the wrestling team's competition venue closer to its current practice space in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Wilkinson endowed the W. Jay and Nancy Wilkinson Performance Center, located in the North End Zone of Memorial Stadium, back in 2012.
Ohio State isn't sitting this conference-wide competition out, of course. The previously-announced Covelli Center will serve the Buckeye volleyball, fencing, gymnastics and wrestling programs. The Jennings Wrestling facility, in particular, will help cement Tom Ryan's program as one of the sport's blue bloods. According to Ohio State, the new structure will include "a state-of-the-art practice facility, along with offices for coaches and student-athlete space."
"When you have a facility to the standard that this one is going to be, it screams value; it screams importance; it screams that when you come here, you are going to be treated in a first-class way," head wrestling coach Tom Ryan said.
