Benedictine University, Lisle, IL, has begun work on an 11,000-square-foot health and fitness facility, according to a statement from the university. The new facility is part of the university’s Dan and Ada Rice Center renovation project, which began in 2010 with the installation of a new basketball/volleyball arena.
The renovations will provide modernized training facilities for the university’s NCAA Division III student-athletes and improved recreational and fitness facilities for its students, faculty and staff.
In addition to a 7,500-square-foot cardio and circuit-training area, the two-level center also will feature a strength-training mezzanine floor, a Pilates/yoga studio, an advanced training facility, locker rooms and a new sports medicine training center.
Keith Bunkenburg, assistant athletic director and head basketball coach at Benedictine, said the renovated center will be a great recruitment tool.
“The new facility will have the same effect our arena will have — when a student-athlete walks in for the first time, it will have the ‘wow’ factor,” Bunkenburg said. “Our administration is making a huge commitment to our students and the student-athlete.”