Football may forever be king of the Ohio State kingdom, but the athletic department has never been shy to upgrade facilities for other revenue and non-revenue sports. From the new Covelli Center that houses Olympic sports, to Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium, the facilities are always being brandished and refurbished.
Welcome in lacrosse to that conversation.
According to a release from the Ohio State Department of Athletics, the OSU Board of Trustees has approved construction for a swanky new home for lacrosse for both the men’s and women’s programs.
The proposal is for the stadium to be built between the Ty Tucker Tennis Center and the Jennings Wrestling Facility (another new creation). It will have a capacity of 2,000 and include a heated and lighted field, press box with broadcast facilities, and an indoor shooting room.
“I’m excited for our lacrosse teams to have a state-of-the-art facility dedicated exclusively to lacrosse,” said Janine Oman, senior deputy athletic director, Senior Women’s Administrator and sport administrator for the men’s and women’s lacrosse programs in a statement. “It will provide them with year-round training and shows the commitment Ohio State has to providing our student-athletes everything necessary for an exceptional experience. We’ll also have the chance to tell the unique story of our two programs through their history, tradition and brand. This is a great day for Ohio State and for our lacrosse programs.”
⭐️ The new lacrosse stadium will be in the heart of the athletics district and feature a heated and lighted field, press box with broadcast facilities, indoor shooting room & fan observation deck.
It has a planned completion date of November 2022. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/9mSBVdfnsA
— Ohio State Men's LAX (@OhioStateMLAX) August 19, 2021
Construction for the project is planned to start in November, with an estimated completion date of November 2022. Ruscilli Construction will manage the construction with a price tag of $21.5 million. It’ll continue the building bonanza that is now considered the Athletic District.
Both men’s and women’s head coaches were delighted with the news.
“This is very positive news and the next big next step in efforts to build a home for Buckeye lacrosse,” said head men’s lacrosse coach Nick Myers. “We are so grateful for all the people that have believed and committed to supporting this project. The leadership of our administration through this process, especially Gene Smith and Janine Oman, has been remarkable and inspiring. We can’t thank them enough. The stadium is going to be like no other in college lacrosse. We are really looking forward to seeing our new home come to life over the next 15 months.”
“We are so grateful for everyone who played a part in making the new home of Buckeye lacrosse a reality,” said head women’s lacrosse coach Amy Bokker. “Our team is fired up and full of so much pride surrounding the opportunity to represent Buckeye Nation in this new, state-of-the-art facility. This will make such a positive impact for our student-athletes and the future of our program. Go Buckeyes!”
This should be another fantastic addition to what’s already some of the best athletic facilities in the country.
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