Contact: Sammy McDavid
Aerial view of MSU RecPlex
Since opening in 1998, Mississippi State's 40-acre recreational complex has become extremely popular with university students. Now, it's receiving praise at a much higher level.
The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association is honoring the MSU RecPlex with one of seven 2000-01 Sports Facility of the Year Awards. Announcement of the selection recently was made in Recreational & Sports Fitness, the organization's magazine.
NIRSA is a non-profit professional organization representing more than 2,000 universities and colleges, military installations, YM/YWCAs, health clubs, recreation and park departments, and corporations around the world. Administrative offices are located in Corvallis, Ore.
Sandi Carlisle of Northern Illinois University, coordinator of NIRSA's award program, said 83 recreational facilities were nominated for the 2000-01 honors. Annual winners are meant to serve as design models for other recreation sports directors, campus planners and architects contemplating projects in their locations, she added.
Funded by more than a decade of set-asides from student activity fees and located on the south campus near the College of Veterinary Medicine, MSU's $2.7 million facility includes four lighted softball fields with scoreboards and public address systems, and two international-size soccer fields with lights and P.A. systems.
Support facilities include a:
--Softball building with a concession area, restrooms, emergency/medical treatment room, and storage;
--Maintenance building with staff offices, coaches'/officials' conference room, staff/officials' locker room, and maintenance equipment storage;
--Soccer building with restrooms and soccer equipment storage; and a
--Paved parking lot accommodating more than 300 vehicles.
Weatherford/McDade Ltd. of Jackson was the landscape architectural firm of record, with Phillip L. McDade and Charles H. Byrd as the landscape architects of record.
According to McDade, the facility was designed to allow "multiple use by many sports." As an example, he said, each softball field also is large enough for regulation flag-football competition.
The RecPlex is part of the Division of Student Affair's department of recreational sports.
"This major honor from NIRSA is a fitting tribute to the time, dedication and very hard work so many people contributed toward making the RecPlex a reality," said department head Laura Walling. "We are most grateful that our peers have recognized a facility that thousands already have enjoyed and many, many more thousands will in the years and decades to come."
Other winners this year include the Fred Beekman Park at Ohio State University, University of Virginia Park Complex, University of California, Santa Barbara Aquatic Complex, University of Arizona-Tucson's Rincon Vista Sports Complex, Bo Cowell Fields at Colorado State University, and University Camp at Southwest Texas State University.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: An aerial view of the MSU RecPlex accompanies the online version of this story at www.ur.msstate.edu/news/. For additional information on the facility, telephone Ms. Walling at (662) 325-2179.