New facilities for the University of South Dakota athletes are closer to being reality.
Gov. Dennis Daugaard will join top donors and University of South Dakota officials as USD breaks ground at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17 for the $66 million Sports Performance Enhancement Facility Complex; Science, Health and Research Lab, and an Outdoor Track and Soccer Complex project.
The ceremony will be held at the parking lot directly south of the DakotaDome.
USD President James Abbott and Athletic Director David Herbster will speak on behalf of the University and participate in the ceremony along with Michael Lawler, professor and dean of the School of Health Sciences, USD Foundation President and CEO Steve Brown, and representatives from Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis.
The event is free and open to the public. A reception will be held in the concourse of the DakotaDome immediately following the ceremony. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place inside the DakotaDome.
The Complex will feature a main competition basketball court surrounded by 6,000 spectator seats. The Lab will accommodate occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiology and sports sciences, and sports medicine programs. A nine-lane, NCAA certified outdoor track and two soccer fields – one for practice and one for competition – will sit directly north of the USD Wellness Center.
The project is expected to be complete before Fall 2016. Competition could begin at the new Soccer Complex as early as Fall 2015. The Coyotes plan to host the 2016 Summit League Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the new facility.
