KEEPING WESTERN COMPETITIVE

Soon to be one of the crown jewels among athletics facilities within the conference, not to mention in the state, the Rady Family Sports Complex renovation continues to make tremendous progress.

When finished, the complex will encompass a completely renovated stadium, transforming the athletic experience and amplifying school spirit at Western, while also creating a central space that will serve the entire community. The Mountaineer Bowl renovation includes a turf field, press box and entryway, locker rooms for the home team, away team and officials, locker rooms for Mountaineer men’s and women’s track & field athletes, and home and away locker rooms for women’s soccer teams that play next door at Katy O. Rady Field. The new press box will house home and visitor coaching boxes, two radio broadcast booths, a scorekeeper and game statistician area, and a dedicated filming platform. Fans attending games will enjoy a 26’x46’ video board, which is among the largest of any college in Colorado, as well as a new sound system, dynamic lighting that is tied in with the sound system for night games , 414 sponsored seatbacks, a new concession stand, restrooms, and a fan store. In all, the renovated Complex will encompass more than 30,000 square feet.

Three teams are in the process of completing or have finished locker room renovations thanks to the generosity of each program’s supporters. Women’s basketball was the first to start its renovation project and is putting the finishing touches on their new home in Paul Wright Gym. Down the hall are volleyball and football locker rooms that are also near completion. Volleyball was able to spread into the vacated space of the previous women’s basketball locker room, while football’s locker room is seeing its renovation near completion with the recent installation of individual lockers.

The support we’ve seen through 2022 and into 2023 not only elevates Western’s athletic facilities beyond those of other programs in the conference, but it also provides scholarships to the remarkable student athletes that represent Western on the field, court, track, and in the pools. Scholarship assistance for Western’s 13 NCAA varsity sports programs surpassed approximately two-million in funding last fiscal year thanks to privately funded scholarships, the Mountaineer Athletics Association (MAA), the Mountaineer Football Athletics Association (MFAA), and the Elevation Club. The Elevation Club is the premier level of scholarship support for Western Athletics, that requires a $7,723 annual commitment for 5 years directed to a sport of the donor’s choosing.

In the 2022-2023 academic year, Mountaineer athletics experienced a significant boost through the $77,000 raised at the annual Crab & Steak Feed Dinner and Auction. These contributions have opened up additional scholarship opportunities for Western’s 500 student-athletes, a group that includes 29 All Americans, 14 first-team Academic All-RMAC honorees, and 149 others who have earned recognition on the RMAC Academic Honor Roll.

Team successes aided by scholarship support include the wrestling team’s fourth-place finish at the National Championships, cross country’s eighth-place finish by the women and 11th by the men at Nationals, track & field’s ninth place (women) and 17th (men) at Outdoor Nationals, and a pair of divers from the women’s swimming and diving program earning inclusion in the NCAA D-II Qualifying Meet.