Witcher Athletic Center Opens AT VERT STADIUM
HPU recently opened a $9 million, cuttingedge athletic facility and dedicated it to successful alumnus Doug Witcher. The Witcher Athletic Center at Vert Stadium is 36,000 square feet and houses the men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer programs, while also providing impressive new spaces for athletic training, academic services, media and donor hospitality. “High Point University has outstanding support from alumni,” said Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president, during the dedication ceremony. “When asked to stand tall and Doug Witcher, '77 support the mission of this institution, Doug Witcher said ‘Count me in.’ We are able to do many of the things we’ve done on our campus because alumni are willing to give back.” After graduating from HPU in 1977, Witcher launched a 30-year career in the insurance industry. In 1994, he founded Smart Choice, which has grown to become a major insurance network serving more than 3,700 agencies in 42 states. “I came to this university not knowing what I wanted to do with life,” said Witcher. “Equally important, I did not know who I was as a person or understand the gifts and skills God had given me. However, after I graduated, my life was forever changed by the leaders at this university. I have also had the privilege to make a gift to this university for its role in helping me understand who I am, what skills God has blessed me with, and providing me with an education that has allowed me to use these skills and gifts to serve God by making a difference. The name of this building will be a constant reminder to live worthy of the trust you’ve placed in me, as well as to never lose sight of the significance this university has played in my life and the lives of thousands of students who walked these halls.” “The unveiling of the Witcher Athletic Center ushers in a groundbreaking new era of High Point University athletics,” said HPU athletic director Dan Hauser. “The services this state-of-the-art building provides our studentathletes will create a more holistic college athletics environment in which they can learn and compete at an elite level.” ■
The Witcher Athletic Center includes: • A 105-seat academic center, including upgraded technology and space to support HPU’s studentathletes in the classroom. • A new athletic training center, which will aid in injury prevention, treatment and the rehabilitation process of HPU’s student-athletes. • A hydrotherapy area with a Hydroworx in-ground cold whirlpool and an underwater treadmill. • Impressive new locker rooms, lounges and office suites for the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams and the men’s and women’s soccer teams. Each locker room features a thumbprint ID system, state-of-theart DaLite smart board technology, custom-built wood lockers, boot rooms and stick storage. • A first-class media and production area that allows the Panthers to be featured more prominently on television broadcasts and provide the ability to produce high definition streaming video via the Big South Network. • The President’s hospitality suite located on the third floor overlooks the adjacent Vert Stadium and features 32 stadium seats that provide a birds-eye view of the action. • The athletic director’s box on the second floor includes seating for up to 30 people.
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