Courtesy of WVSU
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – HBCU West Virginia State University (WVSU) has been awarded $250,000 by the Kanawha County Commission to help build a new track and field complex at the university. The funding comes from American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds and was approved by the commission at its Wednesday meeting.
“We are grateful to the Kanawha County Commission for their support to build a track and field complex at West Virginia State University,” said WVSU President Ericke S. Cage. “This new facility will not only be a tremendous asset for our university and our student-athletes, but for the entire Kanawha County community giving local middle school and high school students an opportunity to also practice and train here. Since relaunching our track and field programs we have been actively working to raise the funds necessary to build a facility on our campus and this commitment from the Kanawha County Commission is a tremendous boost to that work.”
WVSU brought back its men’s and women’s track and field teams last year. Since their return, the teams have been practicing at off-campus facilities in the Kanawha Valley.
“This is another remarkable display of the commission’s dedication to not only supporting our student-athletes at West Virginia State University but all the youth in Kanawha County,” said WVSU Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Nate Burton. “This new facility will provide championship caliber resources for our track and field student-athletes, while also supplying an additional track that the community can use. Similar to the way all of our athletic facilities are used, we envision high schools, middle schools, and area youth organizations using the facility to train and host meets.”
In addition to being the future home of Yellow Jackets track and field, once completed the facility could also help to recruit larger track and field events to the region, Burton said, similar to the large events that the nearby Shawnee Sports Complex has been able to attract.
The HBCU track will also be open to area residents to come and walk and run when not in use.
Fundraising for the construction of the new track and field complex is ongoing. For those interested in giving, donations may be made online at https://connect.wvstateu.edu/foundation/athletics.
About West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a public, land-grant, historically black university (HBCU) that has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the state and region’s higher education and economic development needs through innovative teaching and applied research.