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The Multipurpose Building
UCM Multipurpose Building -- Home of UCM Indoor Track and Field Considered one of the finest facilities of its kind in the nation, the Multipurpose Building is in its 40th year of service to the university. The $5.5 million facility was built at no expense to the State of Missouri, as financing was accomplished solely through student fees. The “Multi” truly lives up to its name, as it is one of the busiest places on campus. In addition to being the home of Mules and Jennies indoor track, basketball, Jennies volleyball, and Mules wrestling, the facility is used by university students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public. Designed primarily for recreational use, the building features a spacious main arena with a six-lane track, a swimming pool, two indoor handball/racquetball courts, areas for free and universal weights, an activities area, locker rooms, meeting rooms, and offices for UCM’s Intercollegiate Athletics staff. The main arena can accommodate four basketball or six volleyball courts at one time or all of the events for an indoor track meet. Seating capacity in the Multipurpose Building is 8,500 for basketball and volleyball, making it the largest such facility in the MIAA. It also seats 1,640 fans for indoor track meets and 11,000 people for concerts. Numerous special events take place in the Multi each year. It has hosted the Missouri State High School Activities Association’s state volleyball tournament since 1988, while state high-school playoff games for basketball are also played annually in the building. In addition, the MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships are contested every third year in the Multipurpose Building. The facility is also used for Central’s annual commencement ceremonies and for major concerts. The Multi underwent a major renovation during the summer of 1998. An inlaid-wood floor was installed in the main arena, replacing most of the original Tartan surface and eliminating the need for the portable-wood floor that had been used for basketball since 1988. Previous improvements include the addition of a new scoreboard, containing a four-color message center manufactured by Daktronics, in 1986, the purchase of two Sport Courts® for volleyball in 1995 and 1998 and the installation of new bleachers on the north and south sides in 2008.
The Multipurpose Building also got a brand new Mondo track installed during the summer of 2015. It is the same surface used at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, designed for superior athletic performance with the perfect combination of energy return and comfort for runners, as well as shock absorbtion and rebound elasticity for jumps. With the new track surface also came a new pole vault pit. The Multi was designed by the architectural firm of Mantel and Teeter of Kansas City, Mo. It is managed by Karen Hibdon.
Central Missouri Jennies – 2015 Indoor & Outdoor National Champions 3 MIAA Cross Country Titles – 8 MIAA Indoor Titles – 3 MIAA Outdoor Titles