This past Monday, donors, coaches, and athletes alike came together to celebrate the groundbreaking to commence construction of a brand new track. This project has finally come to fruition after being rumored to happen amongst EMU student athletes for years. The new facility will be done in the Spring of 2024, and will include an 8-lane track, pole vault pits, overhead lights, and more. These features will have a substantial impact on athletes, preventing unnecessarily injuries while also improving the experience for spectators watching the sport.
Three years ago, a new facility for track & field and cross country athletes was one of EMU’s top priorities. However, in the midst of the pandemic and widespread change, the project was put aside as other matters piled up. However, in just one year from now, that will change. “Ever since I was a freshman here, I’ve heard tales of getting a new track,” said senior athlete Alijah Johnson. “And once the pandemic hit, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see it.”
However, this brand new facility will not only allow track and field athletes to perform to their highest potential; a new track would allow for more collegiate and non-collegiate events to compete on campus here at EMU, and would therefore bring more people to Harrisonburg.
“Not only will this facility benefit EMU,” said Dianna Reed, mayor of Harrisonburg. “But this facility will also benefit our city.”
Nearing the end of the program, a groundbreaking ceremony was held to bring contributing donors and athletes together to break the ground as a community. The start of this project marks a new beginning for track & field and cross country at EMU, and both graduating seniors and younger athletes alike are looking forward to the new era of this program. Alongside the promise of positive change on the horizon, the amount of future EMU athletes has also grown. Starting in the Spring of 2024, athletes will be given the ability to progress and compete in a way they were never able to do before, and the culture of EMU athletics will continue to grow and thrive.
“56 prospective students have been accepted into the program, 10 have already committed and another 55 are actively interested,” said Braydon Hoover, Associate Vice President for Advancement at EMU.
