The college has completed construction of a nine-lane track, grandstand and pressbox, and a synthetic turf soccer field as part of a new track-and-field facility at Hayden Park.
Most of the work was finished by last October, with the addition of a space for throwing events and a scoreboard in November and electrical work in December, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé.
“We still need to install the sound system and PA system, which will happen in early spring,” Péwé said. “At that point it will be ready to host meets.”
Plans for the next phase include the addition of two more grandstands, concessions, ticket plaza and restrooms, athletic training facilities, and a paved parking lot. Construction will begin after the college has raised the funds, Péwé said.
“The track itself is incredible,” senior Sean Fagan said. “It’s the nicest track I have ever run on.”
The track team used the new facilities for fall training, according to head coach R.P. White.
Fagan said the team enjoyed training outside at Hayden.
While the lanes on most tracks are 36 inches, Fagan said, the lanes on the new track are 42 inches.
“Having that extra space and having it be nine lanes all the way around,” Fagan said, “when you’re running in lane five going down the straightaway, it feels like there’s just nothing but track on either side of you.”
The college will host the 2024 G-MAC Conference Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships May 1-3 on the new track.
“It will be one of the nicest Division II track facilities in the country,” Director of Athletics John Tharp said. “And with the setting at Hayden Park, I think it’s one of the most beautiful settings in all of Division II college athletics.”
Though Hillsdale does not have a Division II soccer team, Tharp said the college is open and prepared for possible growth of its athletic programs in the future with the addition of the field.
“They weren’t thinking about something for one year, they were thinking about something for the next 10 or 15 years,” Tharp said.
Hillsdale has already hosted club soccer games on the turf.
“We were able to play on it for our last game of the fall,” sophomore and Hillsdale Men’s Club Soccer president Jacob Beckwith said. “Not having to worry about the weather and condition of the grass was really nice. Every pass was smoother, and you could control the ball much more easily. Having our logo in the center of the field and actual bleachers filled with supporters was pretty cool too.”
In addition to benefiting student athletes, the new track will give the whole student population of the college and Hillsdale Academy access to quality fitness facilities, Tharp said.
“I think it has a chance to touch almost every student on our campus,” he said. “That’s why we build these, that’s why we try to renovate these things. It’s not specifically for one sport. It’s for the betterment of the entire campus.”
