On Dec. 12, St. Bonaventure Athletics officially announced its plans for the construction of new athletic facilities and the renovation of existing structures that will be home to the Bonnies’ 19 NCAA Div. I teams.
The plans are composed of three main components, the first of which, and “focal point of the plan,” as stated in the University’s press release, is an Athletic Performance Center (APC) which is set to be built on the east side of the Reilly Center. Within the planned 25,647 square feet of the APC, the three main features set to be included are a strength and conditioning center, a new home for Bonnies Sports Medicine, and a student-athlete lounge with a nutrition station.
All student athletes will have access to the new strength and conditioning center which is set to triple in size compared to its current home inside the Reilly Center.
As for Bonnies Sports Medicine, “a large treatment center will feature training tables, rehab equipment, a hydrotherapy room with hot and cold tubs, a physician’s exam room and offices for the athletic trainers,” according to the press release.
An office suite for the Director of Athletics and an entranceway that will connect to the Reilly Center will be added as well.
“We’re extremely excited to unveil our new facilities plan, with the focal points being the Athletic Performance Center and our new outdoor track and field complex,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Bob Beretta (‘87) said in the press release. “The Athletic Performance Center will be transformative as we develop our student-athletes, athletically, socially and culturally and place them in positions to win championships. The APC is a vital component in our strategy to serve all 400 of our student-athletes in a meaningful way. We were very intentional in prioritizing health and wellness as we developed this new plan to help provide a championship experience to all our Bonnie student-athletes. The new sports medicine area, student-athlete lounge and nutrition center will complement the training space and provide our student-athletes with cutting-edge facilities to rest, relax and recover from their daily activities.”
Pictured is a rendering of the new eight-lane track, planned to be built on the Marra Athletics Complex at St. Bonaventure University, pending fundraising. (Photo provided by St. Bonaventure Athletics)
The second component of the project will be the construction of a new eight-lane competition track on the Marra Athletics Complex, south of the current multipurpose field.
St. Bonaventure has not had its own track since 2004.
Inside the track will be an artificial turf field that “will be able to host both practices and competitions, allowing greater access for field time by more teams and decreasing the wear and tear on one facility,” according to the press release. The track will be lit with state-of-the-art lighting, feature a grandstand with a press box and will be accessible from several directions via newly planned pathways.
“Expanding our facilities will be vitally important for our student-athletes, especially with so many outdoor teams competing for valuable practice time on the turf,” St. Bonaventure President Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D. said in the press release. “An additional field will allow a more reasonable practice schedule for our teams and ultimately improve the overall experience of students who already need to adhere to challenging academic and athletic schedules.”
The press release also stated that the estimated cost of the two major components will be between $15-$23 million for the APC and $8 million for the track and field. All of which will be funded through “philanthropic support or grants” with groundbreaking for the construction depending on how quickly fundraising goals are met.
There are also plans to update the interior of the Reilly Center, including “the most critical need” of dedicated locker rooms for every team, which can be achieved once the APC opens and space becomes available. Renovations to seats in the arena are planned, but contingent upon funding.
However, there are three projects that will not need to wait for fundraising. The first of which being an $800,000 upgrade to the men’s basketball locker room, slated to happen in the spring of 2025. Handler Park will receive a $1.5 million upgrade in the summer of 2025 with added seating, a new press box and a new protective net system. And finally, in January of 2025, the University Fitness Center on West State Street in Olean, will add turf to a large indoor practice space to be utilized by the baseball, softball and golf teams. “Golf’s indoor practice spaces will also receive a facelift with new turf and simulators added to two of the team’s three practice bays,” according to the release. All of which were funded by private donations.
Pictured is a rendering of the slated plans to renovate Handler Park, home to the St. Bonaventure baseball team. Construction of these upgrades is set to begin in the summer of 2025. (Photo provided by St. Bonaventure Athletics)
“The energy surrounding our intercollegiate athletics program is incredible,” Beretta said. “That momentum will continue to grow this spring and summer as we finalize our renovations to Handler Park and our men’s basketball locker room. Additionally, the continued improvements to the University Fitness Center and Reilly Center will shape the lives of current and future Bonnies for decades into the future.”
St. Bonaventure is partnering with Buffalo-based Clark Patterson Lee Architects for the project designs.
If you are interested in making a tax-deductible campaign gift, please contact Steve Mest, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Advancement, at (716) 375-2319 or smest@sbu.edu.
