Front Perspective of the New Fitness and Athletic Center

The final hurdle in the building of a long-awaited new athletics facility on the Sweet Briar campus was crossed Feb. 9, as the College's Board of Directors unanimously approved plans for construction of the fitness and athletic center (FAC).

A ceremonial groundbreaking will take place on April 25 and construction is slated to begin in May with an estimated completion in fall 2009.

Athletic director Kelly Morrison, a key player in the charge for the new facility, summed up the feelings held by many within the athletics department. "We are incredibly excited about the announcement of the new fitness and athletics center," she said.

"This center is the last piece of the puzzle for Sweet Briar athletics — we already have outstanding coaches and student-athletes, and some of the finest outdoor facilities in this part of the country. Adding this state-of-the-art facility to the most beautiful campus in America is the icing on the cake."

Head lacrosse coach Hillary London also pointed to the facility's impact on Vixen athletics. "This is the piece that will complete the package we are trying to sell to prospective student-athletes and it will impress upon our athletes how serious we are about athletics at the College," she said.

The 53,000-square-foot FAC will be attached to the recently renovated Daisy Williams Gymnasium, spanning out towards the student commons. It will encompass a multisport arena, the College's athletics hall of fame, new athletics department offices, a student lounge and movie theater and a restaurant.


Interior of the New Fitness and Athletics Center

Three multisport courts will serve as the base for the arena, allowing the College to host indoor varsity tennis matches and volleyball tournaments.

"This facility will enable the tennis program to strive for goals that were once thought to be unreachable," head tennis coach Andy Mays said. "In my eyes, the best is definitely yet to come."

Head soccer coach Kevin Fabulich echoed that sentiment. "With this facility, our varsity sports will have the impetus needed to move us forward in our development,” he said. “This is truly a watershed event in the history of Sweet Briar College."

In addition to hosting tennis and volleyball events, the additional court space will provide much needed indoor practice space for all seven varsity athletic programs. "This facility will certainly provide us with the opportunity to have inclement weather practice in a more suitable space that will help us prepare for competition," lacrosse coach London said.

The arena will feature a state-of-the-art floor allowing for a variety of sports to take advantage of the space. With the completion of the FAC, teams such as field hockey, soccer and softball will be able to practice simultaneously.

"Not only does this facility give the athletics program more indoor practice space, but its larger size will allow for more realistic, more game-oriented activities to be performed," junior field hockey and lacrosse player Megan Behlre (Manassas, Va./Stonewall Jackson) said.

Sophomore tennis player Virginia Edahl (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) added, "This facility will improve the morale of our team and our confidence. The new gym will allow for better training and more athletic opportunities, such as being able to go indoors when it's cold or rainy and get the same bounce [of the ball] as we would practicing outside."

While the completion of the FAC will greatly impact the student-athletes, it is being built to serve the needs of the entire student body. An elevated three-lane jogging track, climbing wall and two racquetball courts will surround the court space and the courts can be used for community-wide activities such as intramural sports.

"I think the FAC will promote a healthy environment throughout campus and will appeal to non-athletes as well as student-athletes," senior swimmer Jennifer Milby (Mechanicsville, Va./Lee-Davis) said.

Her coach Alex Kuhn agreed, adding, "The FAC will not only attract strong student-athletes, but it will bring together the community as a whole."

The FAC will utilize the newly renovated cardiovascular and weight training rooms, as well as the new locker rooms and team rooms.

"The new workout facility is an enormous asset to our varsity sports teams and the rest of campus,” said Laura Jett (Littleton, Colo./ ThunderRidge), first-year volleyball student-athlete. “It is nice to have a large enough facility for our entire team to lift weights together and new equipment to motivate each other to perform better."

The current free weight room and athletic training space also will benefit from this project. The free weight room will be rearranged with some new equipment brought in and the athletic training space will be enlarged to create an athletic training suite for student-athletes.

"The increase size will allow for a better flow and more treatment tables for servicing athletes and the additional space will also help in accommodating visiting teams in addition to our athletes on game days," Shelly Taylor, head certified athletic trainer said.

Volleyball and swimming will continue in their current spaces with the Williams Gymnasium receiving a new flooring system.

Information and updates will be posted to the athletics Web site, www.sbc.edu/athletics, throughout the construction of the fitness and athletics center. Check back often to see our progress.