CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Southern Utah Athletic Department unveiled the George S. Eccles Sports Performance Center last Friday. The new building includes a brand new weight room and a nutrition station.
“This whole thing is for our student-athletes.” said Athletic Director Debbie Corum in her address to an audience of student-athletes, donors and other athletic department members.
The new building was built by donations from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation, Jean and Joe Lopour among others.
“This money didn’t just fall out of the air,” said President Scott Wyatt. “It came from a lifetime of hard work from individuals in multiple families.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony was highlighted by Spencer F. Eccles, chairman and CEO of the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, and Jay Francis, executive vice president of corporate affairs and Miller Family Philanthropy.
The new performance center is over 8,000 square feet with brand new equipment. The new weight room is almost three times the size of the previous weight room. It also includes space and equipment for more intense cardiovascular exercise.
Men’s Basketball Head Coach Todd Simon talked about how the performance center will be a selling point for potential recruits. Simon said that the center will be a “wow moment” for any student-athlete who takes a tour of campus.
The center also includes a nutrition station named for Jean and Joe Lopour. The station is in place to allow busy student-athletes to grab a refill and rehydrate after a workout.
“(The George S. Eccles Sports Performance Center) isn’t a country club,” continued Wyatt. “It takes a lot of work. It’s not the race that’s the hardest. It’s the training you do beforehand.”
Wyatt also mentioned that over the last five years SUU has received over $61 million in donations for building new facilities around campus.
The new performance center will provide a better place for student-athletes to put in that hard work and training that will lead to success on the field, court or track.
Story by: Connor Sanders
sports@suunews.net
Photo by: Mitchell Quartz
