IRVINE, Calif. – The foundation has been set, the ribbons have been cut, and now the new Golden Eagle Athletics Complex is officially part of Concordia University Irvine's campus.
As part of the highly anticipated 50
th Anniversary celebration of the entire school, the CUI community gathered together on Friday to thank all the people who helped bring this 24.5-million-dollar investment to life.
"We are so excited for this next chapter," said CUI Vice President of Athletics and head softball coach
Crystal Rosenthal, who was one of the featured speakers during the ribbon cutting ceremony. "This will help us pursue our goal of being the premier Christian University in Orange County."
"Everything we have as student-athletes today was built over time," said SAAC Vice President and current women's soccer player
Bella Barrett. "It has been built through the grace of God and through generations of athletes, coaches and staff, university leaders, supporters and alumni that laid the foundation for us and for generations of Golden Eagles to come."
"The Golden Eagles Athletics Complex is an outward representation of the commitment that Concordia has to excellence," added Barrett. "It will be a daily reminder to what a blessing it is to be a Golden Eagle. We commit to use this facility to honor God and make our community proud."
There are two main buildings that everyone in attendance was able to tour throughout the afternoon. The Golden Eagles Fitness Center features a brand new 5,000 square foot weight room with 15 stations of branded green-and-gold equipment, industrial sized fans, top-of-the-line audio-visual enhancements and even roll-up glass doors for outdoor training.
The Golden Eagles Clubhouse houses new locker rooms, an athletic training facility with hot and cold therapy baths and a newly furnished press box that overlooks the track and the field where soccer and lacrosse home games are hosted. The Sports Medicine Clinic provides a second space to help prep athletes for practice and games and will also house prehab equipment for injury management. There is also a changing room for officials, office space for coaches, and laundry facilities for all sporting gear.
Additional amenities include a state-of-the art film room with theater seating that can be used in multiples ways for team meetings, guest speakers and post game media interviews. Fans will also be able to cheer on their Golden Eagles from many angles such as the rooftop terrace and expanded seating areas behind new fencing along the track. Carter's Corner – named after Leveda Carter, a 40-year faithful servant and employee of Concordia in advancement – showcases a unique space that can be utilized in countless ways for various alumni events, donor gatherings and other special events such as team banquets.
On behalf of all of us at CUI, we are eternally grateful for the generosity of all our donors, sponsors and alumni, and of course our administration and all involved with the vision for this multi-year project to come to fruition.
Happy 50
th Anniversary Concordia University Irvine! Here's to the next 50 years and the memories that will be shared by all with these new building spaces and the opportunities they will provide.
CLICK HERE to read more about Concordia's 50th Anniversary and School History
