When kids see the direction we are heading with projects like the new Shaw Sports Turf field, they want to be a part of it.
Gaffney, South Carolina (PRWEB) April 17, 2014
Limestone College sports teams will now have more control over the use of athletic fields with the addition of a new Shaw Sports Turf field.
“The abuse our natural grass field get with all our sports teams is tremendous,” said Jimmy Martin, Associate Athletic Director of Facilities. “The new Shaw Sports Turf field will allow us more programmable hours on the field, and the addition of lights will allow us to practice and play at night.”
The field was completed earlier in April, but construction is still in progress on a new 22,000 square foot field house for outdoor sports. The facility will be called the Bob Campbell Field House.
“Many of our teams have not had a locker room for 35 years,” said Martin. “Mike Cerino (Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics) got some things moving to get us to where we are now. These projects really enhance the position of our athletic department. When kids see the direction we are heading with projects like the new Shaw Sports Turf field, they want to be a part of it.”
Much of the fundraising was done by the 2002 national championship lacrosse team, as well as other alumni and supporters.
The new field plays host to the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, the men’s and women’s soccer teams, and field hockey. Limestone College offers one of the two southernmost field hockey programs among all three divisions of the NCAA. The field will also be able to accommodate intramurals, if needed.
The Saints will utilize Shaw Sports Turf’s Legion 46 system, which is a combination of high-performance monofilament fibers and a durable slit film fiber. The slit film fiber is a workhorse which will handle the workload, while the monofilament provides a more resilient surface that enhances performance characteristics. The Legion system is also used on the game and practice fields at Vanderbilt University.
“We really like the height and mixture of the Legion system from Shaw Sports Turf,” said Martin. “The different characteristics provided by the slit and monofilament fibers will help us with all the sports we’ll be playing on the field, particularly with field hockey and the ball roll performance that is required.”
Limestone College was founded in 1845 as the first women’s college in South Carolina and one of the first in the country. The school became fully coeducational in the 1960’s. Today, the school has 1,000 traditional students and some 2,500 students at its extended campuses.
The athletic program at Limestone began in 1973. The Saints currently participate at the NCAA Division II level as a member of Conference Carolinas.
“The field at Limestone College is going to help the teams there, both from a performance and recruiting standpoint,” said Andrew Barksdale, Territory Manager with Shaw Sports Turf. “This is a statement about a collegiate athletic program on the rise and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
Design and construction on the project was handled by CHA. Base and turf installation was provided by Precision Turf.
About Shaw Sports Turf
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Shaw Industries is a full flooring provider to the residential and commercial markets. Shaw supplies carpet, hardwood, laminate, resilient, and tile/ stone flooring products, as well as synthetic turf. Shaw Sports Turf is one of the leading synthetic turf companies in North America and has represented quality and innovation for more than two decades with over 1,500 successful installations, including an impressive list of high-profile field installations. For more information please visit http://www.shawsportsturf.com, call 866-703-4004 or find us on Facebook.