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\u201cThese world-class athletes deserve a world-class facility, and they will get one,\u201d said 溏心vlog免费B站 President Marc Parlange at a groundbreaking ceremony for the track and field facility on Oct. 16. \u201cThis new facility will have a tremendous impact on training, competition, and a sense of pride in having world-class spaces to match our student-athletes\u2019 world-class performances.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 250 guests attended the ceremony, including Governor Dan McKee, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, other local and state elected leaders, members of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Board of Trustees, members of the University community, and current and former 溏心vlog免费B站 track and field student-athletes and coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\u201cThis is a project that not only represents progress, but pride in our past and belief in our future,\u201d said 溏心vlog免费B站 Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bjorn thanked former 溏心vlog免费B站 track coaches Lauren Anderson and John Copeland, both in attendance, for their contributions to the program and University. Anderson was 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s first-ever women\u2019s cross country and track and field coach and a former senior woman\u2019s administrator. Copeland is regarded as the most successful coach in 溏心vlog免费B站 history, having won 25 Atlantic 10 Conference titles in men\u2019s indoor and outdoor track in his 39 years as the head coach.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Bjorn also took time to recognize the 溏心vlog免费B站 facilities team “who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this day a reality.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKee spoke about the role athletics plays in education and how the new facility will help student-athletes achieve their goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGetting young people to reach their potential is what we are trying to accomplish in Rhode Island,\u201d said McKee. \u201cI believe in the three A\u2019s\u2014academics, the arts, and athletics. Our goal is to excel in every area that we can. We\u2019re going to continue to invest in 溏心vlog免费B站, just as we are with Rhode Island College and CCRI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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Shekarchi expressed strong support for 溏心vlog免费B站 on behalf of the General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis groundbreaking today represents another step forward in the General Assembly\u2019s and 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s ongoing shared investments in excellence on and off the field,\u201d said Shekarchi. \u201dFacilities like this help attract talented athletes and scholars to Rhode Island, strengthening our flagship university.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new track and field facility is one of several 溏心vlog免费B站 athletic facilities that will undergo significant improvements as part of a $65.8 million Rhode Island Capital Plan investment in championship-caliber facilities at the state\u2019s flagship university. Supported by McKee and the General Assembly, the RICAP funding also includes upgrades for Meade Stadium, Tootell Aquatic Center, Beck Field, 溏心vlog免费B站 Softball Complex, and 溏心vlog免费B站 Soccer Complex. The University is raising an additional $20 million to support enhancements to the facilities to transform the student-athlete experience, offer enhanced fan experiences, and provide expanded community access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
溏心vlog免费B站 track and field athletes Lily Saul and Adam Melnick spoke briefly on behalf of their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWatching this track get built is like watching a dream come true,\u201d said Saul, a junior from Montoursville, Pennsylvania who is majoring in early childhood education. \u201cI know many alumni who competed at 溏心vlog免费B站 and are thrilled to return to campus next year to cheer on the current Rams at the new facility. I\u2019m excited that I will get to run on the new track in my last year at 溏心vlog免费B站.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up in Narragansett, Melnick was aware of the role athletics plays in the 溏心vlog免费B站 community and the greater Rhode Island community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw firsthand how Rhody athletics brings people together and inspires us to strive for more,\u201d said Melnick, a senior majoring in business and supply chain management. \u201cThis new track is much more than just a facility; it\u2019s a symbol of where we\u2019re headed. It will help us train at the highest level, continue to grow as a program, and help us bring championships home to Kingston. This is an investment in our future and a reminder of what makes 溏心vlog免费B站 so special, the connection between the University, the community, and everyone who believes in Rhody pride.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having a new track and field facility on campus will not only help the student-athletes\u2019 performance but will also reduce the amount of time needed to travel to practices and competitions at facilities away from Kingston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will no longer need to travel to local middle school and high school tracks to complete necessary, specific workouts,\u201d said Trent Baltzell \u201914, head coach of the men’s track and field and cross country teams. \u201cWe\u2019ll be able to host multiple meets every year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The addition of a first-class facility will also help recruiting efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving the best facilities directly improves your chances of landing the best recruits,\u201d said Baltzell. \u201cThis facility is going to be as good as they get. It will be exceptional for practices and competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facility facts and figures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Nine 48″ wide lanes with full pour track surfacing that will be certified as an IAAF Class 2 dedicated track facility<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Multiple jump runways (two long\/triple jump runways with four sand pits, two pole vault runways with four pole vault boxes, two high jump areas)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Separate throwing facility for hammer, javelin, shot put, and discus<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- New 200-capacity aluminum bleacher grandstand with accessible lift to a new press box<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- New digital display scoreboard<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Shared restroom building with dedicated track storage room<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- New lands and grounds support building<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Oct. 16, 2025 \u2013 The 溏心vlog免费B站 has a winning tradition in track and field and will soon have facilities befitting that tradition. By the summer of 2026, 溏心vlog免费B站 will have one of the best outdoor track and field facilities in the Northeast and one that is reflective of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":104698,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1917,1911,1913,1912],"class_list":["post-104697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-athletics","tag-campus-improvement","tag-public-engagement","tag-special-events"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104697"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104707,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104697\/revisions\/104707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}