Construction will begin this fall on a new, state-of-the-art indoor track & field center for Liberty University’s NCAA Division I program. Expected to open in Fall 2016, it will be one of only 15 tracks in the United States to feature a hydraulically banked 200-meter oval.
“(Director of Athletics) Jeff Barber often speaks about our sports at Liberty moving into the Top 25 in the nation,” Liberty Track & Field Head Coach Brant Tolsma said. “This new facility, along with our beautiful outdoor (Matthes-Hopkins Track Complex), will immediately take us there.”
The 130,000-square-foot center will be located below the LU monogram on Liberty Mountain, off of Candlers Mountain Road. Its six-lane track will include banked curves that can be raised or lowered for different events, helping the Flames’ runners prepare for the next three NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be contested on similar tracks.
“The end result is an opportunity for faster times, a factor which will help draw more high-level athletes and teams to competitions,” Tolsma said. “We are also confident that this facility will have a very positive effect on recruiting, and I believe we will see Liberty become the college of choice for many of the most elite Christian track & field athletes in the U.S. and around the world.”
Liberty’s men’s program has won all 18 Big South Conference (BSC) indoor track & field titles ever awarded, marking the longest run of consecutive championships in conference history in any sport. The men have also won 20 BSC titles in outdoor track & field. The Lady Flames have claimed a total of 10 indoor and 14 outdoor conference crowns.
The new facility will also offer ample space for indoor field events, locker rooms, weight and training rooms, coaches’ offices, concessions, and seating for 1,500 spectators.
“It will be one of the best indoor tracks in the country, and we believe it will prove to be a huge benefit to our already highly successful track program,” Barber said. “It will be a facility that will draw the best track athletes in the country (and) will also be a tremendous place for our fans to come and watch us compete.”
Tolsma anticipates the track will host age group, high school, collegiate, and even professional championships well into the future.
