Constructing a Powerhouse

Athletic Campus bolstered again under Fournier

Football stadium lights, softball field upgrades highlight latest facility enhancements

By Kyle Stefan

Building a national program takes more than the dedication and work ethic of players, coaches, staff and administrators. It requires a vision and strong leadership from the top to reach those lofty goals and aspirations.

Crafted over the 12-year tenure of Athletic Director Rob Fournier, Wayne State Athletics has produced consistent results on the playing field and in the classroom – and that ascent to national prominence is showcased by the constant upgrades, renovations and new construction across the athletic campus.

The “look,” “feel,” and infrastructure of the WSU Athletic Campus has again been upgraded entering the 2012-13 school year. And there's not a better time to take stock of all the progress than Homecoming, a week where WSU Athletics annually welcomes back hundreds of former players, coaches and alumni.

In what has become commonplace under the Fournier administration, WSU student-athletes, boosters and fans can expect significant improvement to the facility infrastructure each year.

“I've been pretty lucky in my time here,” said softball senior Stephanie Foreman, who in her four years has seen the construction of the Athletics Multi-Purpose Building, modernized locker rooms, a renovated training room, an updated weight room, and new Matthaei Center seating – among a host of other projects.

“The multi-purpose building was completed last year,” Foreman said. “The swimming and diving area was totally redone. The tennis courts were renovated. The football stadium had additions. And now, our softball project is ready to be finished. There are a lot of great things happening here.”

The Athletic Multipurpose Indoor Facility, WSU's first new construction on the athletic campus in 46 years, has opened to rave reviews and is in full use, housing the tennis team and a variety of other sports for off-season workouts and practice.

“Last year, we opened a new building for the first time since 1967,” Fournier said. “The multi-purpose facility certainly improved opportunities for our student-athletes just across campus.”

Teams no longer battle for court time in the Matthaei Center, and have dedicated practice space for the winter months and inclement weather.  
“I think Rob's done an excellent job in refurbishing facilities, and adding buildings that make us stand out,” said veteran softball coach Gary Bryce, who enters his 32nd season at the helm of the Warriors this spring. “It certainly also helps in recruiting. We've had several kids in already, and the facility has helped us sell Wayne State and our program.”

Fournier hardly rested on the success of last year's construction. He went to work on his football stadium, home to last year's NCAA National Runner-Up, and pushed for the completion of locker rooms and indoor practice space at the WSU Softball Field.

“We added lights to the football stadium this year, which certainly was a big addition for us.  The first week, we were getting ready to play Ashland under the lights. In the past, we wouldn't have known what that was like unless we went to Ashland.

“It creates other opportunities on campus,” Forunier added. “This year, we hosted the Prep Showdown Classic for the first time. Here was an event that was at Eastern Michigan for 10 years. Now, they're all coming to our campus. They're coming to Detroit. It's a recruitment tool, an enrollment tool, it has a residual benefit that goes beyond the immediate site.”

Coach Bryce knows the latest softball upgrades will help his program in competition. As a perennial contender for the Women's College World Series, Wayne State softball already has established a foundation of success.

Currently in place, Phase One of the new softball construction saw the addition of a dedicated building with locker rooms, coaching offices and team meeting space.

“The new facility has been great, even in just the Fall season,” said Foreman, who helped the Warriors to a pair of wins over Division I Toledo and Michigan State to end the fall campaign. “We have our own place to meet before practice and games. It makes everything easier. We don't have to run back and forth. It's been a real asset.”

Phase Two, scheduled for completion in December, will add indoor pitching and hitting tunnels for extra work before and after practice and competition, along with sport-specific off-season practice areas.

“In general, we're beyond most schools,” Bryce said. “[Our players] will be able to come in and set up a combination of hitting and pitching. Facing the field will be two garage doors, and on the backside we will put in four outdoor pitching mounds.

“Inside, there is a cutout in the concrete, so our pitchers can throw off dirt instead of cement. There will be a lot of time where we can go in and teach individually, and the players can get extra work in.”

Several new aesthetically pleasing additions now line the campus. The tennis courts received new scoreboards last year, and the Matthaei Center seating was redone for the start of last season.

“We've also redone Parking Lots 40 and 50,” Fournier said, which are the main spaces for athletic events, deliveries and daily athletic department visitors.

When discussing the future, Fournier doesn't hold back. He wants to continue expanding the baseball stadium – recently bolstered with new dugouts and the historic left field scoreboard from Tiger Stadium.  

He also envisions a 10,000 square-foot weight room that houses the entire athletic program, and especially benefits a larger sport like football by accommodating bigger lifting groups.

“We have to build this baseball stadium, and we have to build the weight room,” Fournier said. “We need that weight room infrastructure to make football more efficient and better.”

“It's been my goal to provide each student-athlete with a championship experience,” Fournier added. “I think the legacy is that championship experience for the young men and women that come through here.

“It's great to have nice facilities. It's also important to have quality coaches, and excellent academic resources at their disposal. We know it's a great academic institution. All this allows that kid to have that enjoyable experience, and in turn go on and maintain that connectivity to the athletic department.”

Kyle Stefan is a former Editor In Chief of the South End, Wayne State University's student newspaper.  He is a frequent contributing writer to the WSU Sports Information office.