NAU breaks ground for new athletics and recreation center

Artist's rendering of the Center for Aquatics and Tennis
Athletics and Recreation Center groundbreaking
Pictured from left: Jennus Burton, Flagstaff Mayor Jerry Nabours, NAU President John Haeger, Fritz Behrhorst, Mira Theisen, John Morris, Makenzie Mastrud, Agnes Drogi, Jane Kuhn and Lisa Campos.

A tent full of dignitaries, NAU officials, students and friends of the university gathered on a windy afternoon this week to turn the dirt in celebration of the official groundbreaking of the new North Campus Athletics and Recreation Center.

The state of the art facility will include an updated Douglas J. Wall Aquatic Center to accommodate NCAA swimming, diving and tennis programs, as well as campus recreation needs. The new center will feature a 50-meter, 10-lane Olympic sized pool, a 10-meter dive tower and dive well, and provide an on-campus home for men’s and women’s tennis teams with six indoor and six outdoor courts.

Wall, former president of the Arizona Board of Regents, attended the event with his family. During the ceremonial turning of the dirt, Wall chatted with the swimming and diving team and congratulated them on winning the Western Athletic Conference Championship this season.

Lisa Campos, vice president for Intercollegiate Athletics, said the center will contribute to the exceptional experience of our student-athletes and significantly enhance recruiting efforts.

“It’s another example of us moving forward,” Campos said. “We’re really excited about this day and what this is going to do for these teams.”

View a photo album of the event here.