The University of Mary Washington track and field teams will have a brand new competition venue beginning in the Spring of 2016, according to UMW Director of Athletics Ken Tyler. Construction has begun on an entirely new facility, and promises to be one of the finest in the region.
"This is an exciting project for our athletic department and the University", said Tyler. "It will provide a state-of-the-art venue for our student-athletes and will give us the opportunity to host numerous college and high school meets. We're pleased to partner with CHA Consulting and Aikan Inc. and can't wait to dedicate this beautiful new facility when we host the CAC championships next spring! Hopefully, it will be the first of several significant improvements at the Battleground Complex."
The dedicated facility will be exclusively the home to UMW Track and Field. The eight-lane track features ability to run sprints and hurdles from either straightaway,with the steeplechase pit included inside the first turn. A 42-inch fence will enclose the facility. The interior of the track will feature an irrigated grass surface for throwers.
Inside the home straightaway are the dual long/triple jump runways with sand pits. There is the ability to add two additional sand pits in the future to accommodate changes in the wind direction. Inside the back straightaway is a pole vault runway with landing pads at each end. This allows the ability to accommodate the changes in wind. There is one dedicated shot put area located on the infield.
The infield also has the combined hammer & discus cage. There are extra protective nets along the long/triple runways and the pole vault runways for added protection. The javelin runway is located in the D-area as not to conflict with the two high jump areas.
The IAAF approved, world-class, high-end synthetic surface is by Beynon Sports Surfaces. The track oval and runways will be a blue polyurethane with gray polyurethane accents. The surface material will be the BSS-1000 tuned system with embedded EPDM granules.
CHA Consulting Inc. will be the design firm, with Akian Inc. of Fredericksburg serving as the general contractor.