University of Charleston Athletics

People agree, UC has changed drastically in a short period of time. However, there is still work to be done. The renovation of Triana Field for men’s baseball and men’s and women’s soccer, along with the new turf, locker rooms and skybox at UC Stadium, has given UC some of the best athletic facilities in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The next project to take priority in The Vision: UC campaign is the construction of a Sports & Fitness Center on the UC campus. The center will be home to the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the women’s volleyball team. It will also serve as a multi-purpose facility for the use of 11 other varsity athletic teams and the entire student body. 

UC’s current facilities in Eddie King Gym and Gorman Physical Education Building are antiquated and some of the worst in the West Virginia Conference. Built in 1948, it currently is the oldest structure on campus. Eddie King Gym is not handicapped-accessible and has no air conditioning. As coaches bring potential student-athletes to campus many are let down by the condition of the facilities in which they will train, compete, and learn to become leaders. In the tough competitive world we live, it is hard to recruit the best and the brightest with the current facilities.  

It is essential that we replace the 60-year-old gymnasium with a new arena and new beginnings. It is essential UC has the best facilities possible to recruit and educate the best possible students it can attain. It is essential that UC keeps its promise to transform the entire campus for all constituencies, including one of its most important – student-athletes.