PHOTO BY CLARISSA OEHLER
The recent destruction of the grain elevators just southwest of the Rowenhorst Student Center have only heightened Northwestern coaches and student athletes’ excitement for the new athletic facility that will be built in that location.
A committee made up of several people from NW’s campus contributed to the planning of the facility.
“A little over a year ago we developed the committee to examine indoor and outdoor athletic facilities on campus,” said Earl Woudstra, Athletic Director at NW. “We tried to focus on what our highest needs were and what we could do to meet those needs and utilize space.”
The athletic facility will feature a multi-purpose area, a weight room, an athletic conditioning space, a golf putting green, golf hitting nets and batting and pitching cages for baseball and softball.
“I think this will benefit the golf team in many ways,” said Courtney Hummel, a member of NW’s Women’s Golf Team. “First of all, we will have a much bigger area to hit and we will be able to tell if our ball goes straight or not because right now we are only hitting to a net right in front of us, which makes it difficult to tell. It will also benefit us because we will have an actual putting green instead of a little piece of carpet.”
The additional space will hopefully ease some of the overlap in athletic team’s practice schedules as well.
“One of the really positive things about the new athletic facility is that athletic teams will be able to practice at more ideal hours,” Woudstra said. “There will be a much better opportunity for athletes to be students and athletes.”
“One of the really positive things about the new athletic facility is that athletic teams will be able to practice at more ideal hours,” Woudstra said. “There will be a much better opportunity for athletes to be students and athletes.”.
The facility will also create space for a new wrestling room. Currently, the wrestling room is used by both the wrestling team and the dance team. The athletic weight room in the RSC will be transformed into a wrestling room once the new athletic facility is in use.
Woudstra believes the facility will enhance opportunities for the athletic department.
“NW is fortunate to have a facility that not many schools our size have. It will be an exciting addition to campus,” Woudstra said. “The addition of the new facility will also create more opportunities in the RSC for the general student population, faculty and staff.”
