Every day, Tom Brown drives into work as the athletic director at Gustavus Adolphus, smiling as he sees the work being done on the expansion of Lund Center.
Given how the pandemic has nearly destroyed the athletic schedule for NCAA Division III programs in the last year, anything that brings some joy is welcome.
“It’s been an interesting year,” he said. “This has been a big shot in the arm for everyone.”
Gustavus held a ceremonial ground-breaking ceremony last week to start the $60 million expansion and renovation of Lund Center. The project, which will be done in two phases and is planned for completion by early 2023, will provide space for new offices, academic programs in athletic training and health and exercise health and all-season practice opportunities for athletic teams and students.
The first phase is scheduled to last 12 months and focus on a 72,000-square-foot addition to Lund Center that includes fitness facilities, such as expanded cardio and weight room spaces, locker room renovations and new office spaces.
Phase 2 is expected to begin immediately after that, with the conclusion of the entire project by early 2023. The completed facility will total approximately 330,000 square feet.
The entire $60 million been raised privately through alumni and donors.
“It’s going to be as nice as some Division I facilities,” Brown said. “It’s going to be amazing.”
Currently, Lund Center, which opened in 1985, houses a competition court for basketball and volleyball, as well as an indoor track and practice areas for many other sports. Intramurals also uses the Lund Center facilities.
The upgrades to Lund Center includes expanded weight room, cardio and group fitness spaces, about triple the size of the current facilities. There will be a new academic wing with improved classrooms, faculty offices and a 118-seat lecture hall.
The Human Performance Lab that will more than double in size, supporting student research and hands-on learning in exercise science and athletic training programs. There will be state-of-the-art locker rooms for students and athletes.
The highlight of the project will be the 53,000-square-foot fieldhouse with a 75-yard turf field that will benefit any team, varsity or intramural, that practices indoors during the winter, as well as the general student body.
“It’s a game-changer for the athletes,” Gustavus football coach Peter Haugen said. “The entire student body will get to use it, from wellness to athletics to intramurals. It’s going to be a huge lift for the entire institution.”
Gustavus opened a $4.6 million turf football field in 2007 so year-round practice has been possible, with a little snow removal. But a new facility will make winter training more efficient.
In the MIAC, Augsburg and St. John’s have seasonal bubbles, but Gustavus is the first school to build a permanent structure for year-round practices and some events.
“The facilities race is always there,” Haugen said. “Gustavus has been aggressive, and with what everyone has gone through in the last year, this is really impressive.”
Freshman Ella Carlson is a first-year student on the Gustavus women’s soccer team. This winter, the team practiced a lot on its own, focusing on weight training and individual skills and techniques. Group practices were held on the basketball court, but that’s not a realistic training surface for soccer.
“This is going to allow us to have better training opportunities,” Carlson said. “We’ll get to work together, which is good for the team.”
Carlson said that the team came to Mankato to work out in the Maverick All-Sports Dome, which was good, but in a couple of years, she and her teammates will be allowed to gather on campus, becoming better soccer players.
“I get excited thinking about it,” she said. “This has been a difficult year for everyone, and it’s going to be tough to wait and watch the progress. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter@ChadCourrier.
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