Sutton Sports Performance Center & Basketball Player Development Center

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The following is an excerpt from a recent Wake Forest University feature by Kim McGrath on the Sutton Sports Performance Center & Basketball Player Development Center at Wake Forest University.

Wake Forest soon will break ground on the Sutton Sports Performance Center and the Basketball Player Development Center thanks to the continued generosity of Ben Sutton (’80, JD ’83, P ’14, P ’16 and P ’19). The construction of these two buildings is a $50 million project — all of which has been pledged by athletic donors like Sutton.

Sutton’s most recent gift of $15 million has made it possible to build a state-of-the-art facility designed to improve the overall competitiveness of Demon Deacon student-athletes. One of Wake Forest’s most ardent benefactors, Sutton’s commitment to Wake Forest includes nearly $27 million in lifetime giving.

Preliminary site work on the facilities begins this month, and a ceremonial groundbreaking will be held in spring 2017.

The four-level, 87,000 square-foot Sutton Sports Performance Center will be connected to McCreary Field House on the Reynolda Campus and include:

More than 10,000 square feet of dedicated strength and conditioning facilities for football;

Strength and conditioning space for men’s and women’s soccer, track & field, men’s and women’s golf, field hockey and volleyball;

17,000 square feet of office and team space for men’s and women’s basketball including heritage areas and team meeting rooms (3rd floor);

18,000 square feet of office space for football staff to include heritage areas, team meeting rooms and other team spaces (4th floor);

Convenient access to sports science technology for evaluation and performance metrics;

More than 1,500 square feet of customized space for a nutrition area;

Enhanced sports medicine and training resources, including an expanded hydrotherapy area.

In addition to the Sutton Sports Performance Center, Wake Forest will also break ground on a 24,400 square-foot Basketball Player Development Center — a $12 million project that will enable the men’s and women’s basketball programs to avoid scheduling issues that have made sharing one facility challenging. Connecting the Sutton Sports Performance Center to the Miller Center, the Basketball Player Development Center will feature:

An additional regulation court with seven goals dedicated to the men’s basketball team;

6,000 square feet of dedicated strength and conditioning for men’s and women’s basketball; and

Easy access to basketball sports medicine facilities, including a cryotherapy chamber.

“Ever since Ben enrolled as an undergraduate 40 years ago, he has been a cheerleader for Wake Forest and the success of our athletic programs,” said Athletic Director Ron Wellman. “His vision and dedication for making a difference will have an incredible impact on the future of Wake Forest sports and our ability to prepare our student-athletes to compete for ACC and national championships. We are incredibly grateful for his foresight and commitment.”

The groundbreaking of the Sutton Sports Performance Center and Basketball Player Development Center comes as Wake Forest recently announced it has raised more than $625 million for students, faculty, and enhancements to the Reynolda Campus through Wake Will: The Campaign for Wake Forest. Having surpassed its initial fundraising goal of $600 million two years ahead of schedule, Wake Forest will build on support from alumni, parents and friends to extend the campaign to 2020 to raise $1 billion through Wake Will Lead.

Triad University prepares to start work on $23.6 million athletic facility

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The following is an excerpt from a recent Triad Business Journal feature by Steve Huffman on the Sports Performance Center at Wake Forest University.

A building permit for $23.6 million has been issued for a Sports Performance Center to be constructed as part of a planned $58 million athletic department upgrade taking place at Wake Forest University. Steve Shutt, associate athletic director for athletic communications at Wake Forest, said the Sports Performance Center will be a four-story building that will measure 95,000 square feet. According to public record, the permit was issued to contractor I.L. Long Construction Co. and listed the project as “Building 65/sports center.”

It will feature a large, state-of-the-art strength and conditioning area that will include both weight rooms and cardio areas. It will house football and men’s and women’s basketball coaches’ offices, team meeting areas and other programmable space. Shutt said fundraising for the Sports Performance Center is ongoing, and ground won’t be broken on the project for several months. The building will be at the north end of the recently completed McCreary Field House. The two buildings will be connected.

Wake Forest SPC and Shah Complex

Construction on Campus at WFU

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The following is an excerpt from a recent Wake Forest University feature by Katie Neal on the Construction over the next 10 years at Wake Forest University.

Wake Forest University is in the midst of a 10-year, $625 million construction effort that reflects the institution’s commitment to offer the best residential college experience in the country. Creating and transforming academic, residential and athletic spaces enhances classroom and campus life for students, while also providing a boost to the local economy.

Since July 1, 2015, the University has invested $55 million in construction and renewal projects. Milestones from this fiscal year include:

–Celebrating the grand openings of the Sutton Center, an impressive extension of the historic Reynolds Gymnasium; McCreary Field House, an expansive indoor practice facility for student-athletes; a building adjacent to Worrell Professional Center for the health and exercise science department; and renovations in the Law School, including a transformative central commons;

–Beginning a comprehensive overhaul of the mid-1950s Reynolds Gym;

–Breaking ground on a next-generation South Campus residence hall and extensively renovating several of the 1950s residence halls surrounding Hearn Plaza.

Over the past five years, Wake Forest has spent more than $210 million with local and regional construction companies as well as architecture firms, providing wok for thousands of people. 

 
“The University’s impact on the community is undeniable. Wake Forest’s investment in facilities across the campus has resulted in a profound economic impact that continues to sustain thousands of local families and businesses.” 
-Win Welch, Vice President as I. L. Long Construction 
 

Haddock House adds plenty to Wake golf programs

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The following is an excerpt from a recent Winston-Salem Journal feature by John Dell on the Haddock House at Wake Forest University.

The Deacons have a new toy at the Arnold Palmer Golf Complex with the opening of the Haddock House, a state-of-the art locker room complete with 100-inch television screens and a game room. And the Wake Forest golf team is pretty excited about the new building on campus.

“It’s crazy how impressive this new building is,” said Sterbinsky, who helped the Deacons reach the NCAA Championships last week for the first time since 2009.

The Deacons finished 23rd out of 30 teams but the momentum of getting to the NCAAs and the opening of the Haddock House bodes well.

The women’s and men’s programs have their own locker rooms with a locker for each player complete with a name tag. There are spacious offices for Jerry Haas, the men’s coach who just completed his 19th season, and for Dianne Dailey, who just finished her 28th season as the women’s coach. There are also offices for assistants Dan Walters of the men’s team and Kevin Diaz of the women’s team.

While the new indoor football practice facility received most of the publicity when it opened, the new Haddock House is just as noteworthy. The house is named for Jesse Haddock, the 89-year-old legendary former coach who guided the Deacons to three national championships.

What Coach Haas loves about the complex, which includes the Dianne Dailey Learning Center that sits about 100 yards from the Haddock House, is when anybody comes to the complex the first thing they see is the large statue of Palmer that was dedicated in October of 2013.

“There’s only one statue on campus, and it’s of Arnold Palmer,” Haas said about the complex that is spread out over 17 acres. “We love how the Arnold Palmer Complex has grown since 2010 when he re-did the golf facility. This is obviously going to help both programs.”

Another outstanding facet to the Haddock House is the touch-screen TV monitor that has the massive amount of history in it. The history of the program, one that started before Palmer arrived in the 1950s, is available.

Photo of Arnold Palmer statue in front of Haddock House