Office of Public Relations
Missouri Baptist University
One College Park Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141-8698
314.392.2307 / fax 314.392.2265
www.mobap.edu / pr@mobap.edu
For Immediate Release
RE: Plans for Sports and Recreation Complex Announced
Plans for Sports and Recreation Complex Announced
March 30, 2005
Before the sun rises, the flickering of halogen lights illuminates the Muncy Gymnasium. One by one, members of the men’s basketball team filter into the gymnasium, not quite awake, but ready for 6 AM practice. After the first blow of the whistle, the gym becomes alive with activity. As the morning progresses into afternoon, volleyball and track teams have made their way into the facility for practice, while cleaning crews rapidly prepare the gym for the next event. More team practices, and one, two, or even three games round out the evening. The gym bulbs stay lit most nights until 11 PM, waiting for the last bit of activity. A few of hours of silence fill the space, as if to allow a moment of rest, and the routine begins once again before dawn breaks.
A recent article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch displayed the headline “Missouri Baptist wants a prize to go with its Cracker Jack box.” While the focus of the article rested on the Lady Spartans basketball team, the reference to the size of the Muncy athletic facility hardly went unnoticed.
The Muncy Athletic Facility, which more closely resembles the size of a practice facility, has served the MBU athletic organizations well over the years. With practices, games, and community events, the facility is in use eighty or more hours in a typical week.
With the addition of new athletic programs and student population growth, MBU Athletics has seen rapid expansion. In just five years, the number of athletes has jumped from 147 to 541, an increase of 268 percent. And the number of athletic programs has progressed as well, with fourteen new programs offered in the last five years. MBU has 24 NAIA varsity and junior varsity men’s and women’s teams for the ’04-’05 season and will add men’s track, tennis, and lacrosse this coming year.
Because of the number of teams looking to practice and compete in the facility, the Muncy Gymnasium has undergone many renovations to better serve the needs of athletic teams. The most recent renovation occurred during the summer months of 2002 when athletic staff members updated staff offices, locker rooms, and the aesthetic aspects of the gymnasium. This renovation also included the addition of a concession stand and additional office space.
As the athletic program has expanded, however, many teams have looked to off-campus locations for additional practice space due to the high demand of the campus facility. As the program has continued to improve and rapidly expand, the need for a larger facility has become evident.
Plans to build the Spartan Sports and Recreation facility were first mentioned at the All-American banquet held during the 2004 homecoming celebration. The $8 million facility will boast a gymnasium, fitness facility, training room, conference space, locker rooms, offices, and a student lounge.
The complex will be erected adjacent to the Muncy Gymnasium, adjoined to the current facility by a common area. All athletic coaching and administrative staff will be housed in the new facility with the exception of the wrestling program. The Muncy Gymnasium will continue to be used a practice facility and community resource, as well as becoming home to the Spartan wrestling program, which now boasts one of the largest number of athletes in any one MBU athletic program. The MBU intramural program will also make use of the current facility.
The 30,000 square-foot center will feature an expanded gymnasium seating up to 1250 guests. The court will nearly double in size and can be divided into two practice areas for simultaneous use.
To support the university’s ongoing initiative of student wellness, MBU has facilitated an arrangement with the YMCA for the past several years to provide fitness services to students. While this arrangement has been advantageous to students, the proposed facility will feature an expanded fitness center available to all MBU students. The fitness center will contain a variety of cardiovascular equipment, weight machines, and circuit training apparatus. Additional training equipment will be located in the Muncy Gymnasium for athletic team use.
To honor past, present, and future MBU athletes, the new structure will bridge old and new with Spartan Hall. This area will showcase trophies, retired jerseys, and names of those inducted into the MBU Athletic Hall of Fame.
In effort to be a resource to the community, MBU hopes to host events and make the new facility available to the community, just as the Pillsbury Chapel and Dale Williams Fine Arts Center have been of service to the community.
A multi year capital giving campaign will be launched in the coming months to fund the new facility.
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Missouri Baptist University is a premier Christian university in Saint Louis, offering graduate and undergraduate studies in over thirty specialized fields and nine degrees. MBU's education and fine arts programs are nationally known in addition to business, religion, administration of justice, and more. MBU is one of the fastest growing higher education institutions in Missouri with an enrollment of over 4,500 students at five locations in the bi-state region — West County, Lincoln County, Jefferson County, Franklin County and the new Illinois extension at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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