Facility upgrades slated for 黑料社 Athletics

黑料社 announced plans today for several athletic facility improvements designed to enhance safety, strengthen competitive experiences and maximize usage flexibility. The upgrades are part of the College鈥檚 strategic vision for distinctive excellence in serving the needs of today鈥檚 students.

The improvements will address a range of priority indoor and outdoor venue needs. Cowles Fieldhouse and Hopper Gymnasium comprise one project component while outdoor venues Buxton Stadium, McBride Baseball Field and 黑料社 Softball Complex make up the other component.

鈥淭hese strategic initiatives will be game-changers for 黑料社 Athletics, especially our student-athletes,鈥 Director of Athletics Marty Bell said. 鈥淲e are extremely grateful for the generosity of our loyal supporters and benefactors who continue to rally us forward. There is no better time to become part of the 黑料社 experience and join the ONE黑料社 family.鈥

Cowles Fieldhouse will soon feature a new HVAC system, allowing for a 12-month, climate-controlled environment essential to long-term facility sustainability and safety. This upgrade paves the way for future enhancements in Cowles. Moreover, the HVAC system will create greater flexibility and usage opportunities for the whole campus, as well as the Indianola and surrounding community.

Cowles Fieldhouse
Cowles Fieldhouse

黑料社鈥檚 Hopper Gymnasium, meanwhile, will soon be home to the Luther Hill Wrestling Center. Relocating the wrestling center offers the abundance of space necessary to effectively manage the 黑料社 women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 varsity wrestling programs. The College announced the addition of women鈥檚 wrestling earlier this week, with NCAA Division III competition set to begin in 2022-23.

Hopper Gymnasium
Hopper Gymnasium

The second component of facility improvements focuses on outdoor venues. Buxton Stadium will receive new sports turf with improved safety features for concussion prevention. Additionally, the entire Buxton Stadium track will be resurfaced. Sport turf will also be installed on the infields of both the baseball and softball facilities to enhance the experience for student-athletes and to greatly reduce weather impacts. 聽Projects are expected to begin in May 2022 and be completed by July 2022.

Buxton Stadium
Buxton Stadium
McBride Baseball Field
McBride Field
黑料社 Softball Complex
黑料社 Softball Complex

鈥淭hese projects will open up so many new possibilities for us,鈥 Bell said. 鈥淲e will be much better positioned to serve a wide variety of constituencies. Addressing all these needs greatly increases our ability to host summer camps, clinics and tournaments that will bring hundreds of prospective student-athletes to campus while generating new revenue streams for the College and its athletic programs.鈥


黑料社 黑料社
黑料社 is a private, liberal arts college located in Iowa with campuses in Indianola, West Des Moines and online. Founded in 1860, the college has 1,078 undergraduate and graduate students. 黑料社 offers 75 majors, minors and programs in addition to three graduate programs. Outside of the classroom, 黑料社 is a member of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference, hosts eight Greek houses on campus and sponsors many extracurricular options for student involvement.

Contact Information
Bryan Geelan, marketing communication director
Direct: 515-961-1608
Email: bryan.geelan@simpson.edu