Fairfield's Men's And Women's Lacrosse Locker Rooms Undergoing Renovation
- Courtesy of Fairfield Sports Information
As the members of the Fairfield University men’s and women’s lacrosse teams enjoy their final weeks of summer, the preparations for the 2011 campaigns have begun. The first step towards the coming season is the renovation and upgrading of the locker rooms for both squads, in the Walsh Athletic Center.
Fans can visit back to this page throughout the project over the next month to keep track of the progress of the renovations. Photos and details of the progress will be updated weekly, and more often if progress warrants.
“This is a fantastic step forward for the Fairfield lacrosse family and I am thankful for the generosity of our friends group,” said head men’s lacrosse coach Andy Copelan. “The locker room upgrade will double as a place that our current players can enjoy and as an advantage in our recruiting
“Our players are really looking forward to moving into the new locker room,” head women’s lacrosse coach Mike Waldvogel said. “This renovation speaks volumes to the support that the sport of lacrosse receives at Fairfield University and we are deeply appreciative.”
The project, made possible by the generous support of the Friends of Fairfield Lacrosse, will take approximately a month to complete, and will be ready with the Stags student-athletes return to school for the fall semester.
Some of the highlights of the renovation include:
- Installation of custom wood lockers for each member of the roster in both locker rooms
- Addition of a player lounge, with flat screen television in men’s locker room
- Reconfiguration of the varsity athletic weight room
The Fairfield men’s lacrosse team is a member of the ECAC Lacrosse League and has had back-to-back winning seasons in the first two years under the tutelage of Copelan. The 2010 squad had five players named to All-ECAC Teams, equaling the total number of players in the first four seasons in the conference. Joseph Marra became only the second Stag in program history (Greg Downing) to be drafted in the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft in June, being taken by the Chicago Fire.
The Stags women’s lacrosse team has won three consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Lacrosse League crowns. The program has advanced to the conference championship game in each of the three season Waldvogel has been a member of the coaching staff, winning the crown and advancing to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament in his first-year as head coach (2009). The Stags finished that season nationally ranked, the first time that has occurred in program history.
UPDATE AUGUST 27 - Walls Going Up
The walls are beginning to be dry walled and the work in the shower room continues. Work is being completed on the floor, as well as the duct work, in the main portion of the locker room.
UPDATE AUGUST 21 - Framing and more demo
The construction continues, and has moved from demo to rebuilding in the men's locker room, where framing for the new lounge and locker room area. In the women's locker room the old red, metal lockers have been removed.
UPDATE AUGUST 4 – Demolition nearly complete
Men’s lacrosse
coach Andy Copelan toured the Stags locker room on
Wednesday morning, with the demolition nearly complete. The
walls that separated the old locker area from both the varsity
weight room and laundry room are both now knocked down. There
are a few cinder blocks left to remove before the next phase of
th
e project begins.
UPDATE JULY 29 – Demolition begins
The project kicked off on Monday, July 26 with the removal of the current red lockers from the building. The demolition phase continued throughout the week as the concrete footing that held the lockers, along with other fixtures, were removed by jackhammer. This allows for the construction of the new lounge in the men’s locker room and installation of the new lockers.
