This rendering shows what West Virginia Wesleyan’s Ross Field will look like when it’s finished undergoing renovations, a $1.6 million project set to begin this month.
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — West Virginia Wesleyan’s Ross Field soon will be undergoing major renovations, school officials said.
The $1.6 million project will include expanding and upgrading the field surface, widening the track and adding new stadium lights.
“We’re doing this in a nutshell for two really fundamental reasons,” said Bob Skinner, Wesleyan’s vice president for advancement. “One is we feel this is going to make us more attractive to student athletes and the general student population. And two, we feel it’s going to help us retain students.”
Skinner explained that the renovations will allow Ross Field to accommodate more sports and programs, a necessary upgrade in light of the evolving needs of the school, he said.
“When we built this facility, we probably had less than six sports, and now we’ve grown to 20 sports,” Skinner said.
“It’s going to be a multipurpose facility,” added Randy Tenney, West Virginia Wesleyan’s athletic director.
Tenney listed some of the many activities that will take place at Ross Field once the upgrades are finished.
“It’ll be used by our football team, women’s lacrosse team, men’s and women’s soccer teams, as well as obviously the track team,” Tenney said. “And the big advantage with the lighting is that we will be able to accommodate many of our outdoor intramural programs later in the evening.”
Skinner said the improved athletic facility will serve many purposes and be an asset for the entire student body.
“We clearly have built this to benefit all of our students,” Skinner said. “This is far more than a football field.”
The field surface will change from natural grass to more durable artificial turf, Skinner said, which will allow more students to use the field without as much worry about damaging it.
