OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY BREAKS GROUND ON POWHATAN SPORTS CENTER

Old Dominion University broke ground for the Powhatan Sports Center, a 48,000-square-foot facility that will house the intercollegiate athletic programs of field hockey, women's lacrosse and football, at a ceremony held on Thursday, Aug. 2.

Completion of the Powhatan Sports Center, with an estimated construction cost of $17 million, is anticipated for the summer of 2008. The venue also will feature a state-of-the-art field hockey and lacrosse stadium, and two practice fields for football.

Debbie White, senior associate athletic director, welcomed guests to the ceremony and introduced key personnel in the construction effort, as well as each of the speakers during the ceremony.

Marc Jacobson, rector of the Board of Visitors, expressed the board's excitement about the transformation of the campus and the improvement of athletic facilities. He emphasized the board's support for the initiation of a football program in 2009.

Kojo Asamoa-Ceasar, student body president, echoed those sentiments by noting the overwhelming support for football from the student body.

Jim Jarrett, director of athletics, thanked the Board of Visitors and President Roseann Runte for their support, noting that this groundbreaking marks another milestone in the success of the ODU athletic program.

President Runte remarked on how athletics, as the campus continues to grow and expand, plays a key role in supporting the mission of the university. She noted also that this facility is a tribute to the success of ODU's women's athletic program and a milestone for ODU in the development of its football program.