A NEW STRUCTURE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE W. WHAT IS IT?

JOSHUA HAMLYN, TRUMPET SPORTS WRITER

The newest campus construction – a strength and conditioning facility to Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center (The W) – is nearly done after the project started in May. 

The addition to the south side of the W is by Invision Architecture and Woodruff Construction. 

“This project really all stemmed from the need to find a place in the W for exercise science major and we determined after a lot of deliberation and consideration that the best place for that would be the existing strength and conditioning room. So that necessitated us finding a new space for strength and conditioning,” Rick Willis, Director of Athletics, said.  

The addition Meyer Strength and Conditioning Annex after of Darwyn Meyer, a former Knights wrestler and 1961 graduate. Meyer took pride in Knight’s athletics wanting them to continue to be successful into the future according to a press release from Wartburg College. 

The space will have17 weight platforms, 12 on the main floor and five on the upper level can accommodate two athletic teams at a time, and expanded cardio and conditioning activities.  

The facility will also be the first in the Division III to have the EliteForm motion capture system throughout the weight room. 

“We’re hopeful that we will be moving some equipment in there by sometime in March,” Willis said. 

The timeline is to work on renovation of the current facility and have the space ready by fall of the 2021-11 school year, said Willis. 

According to Wartburg College article from 2019, the new Health and Human Performance Center will be used for the major of exercise science and will include a 1,000 square foot Human Performance Lab and a 1,000 square foot Anatomy and Physiology Lab allowing enough space for 32 students and a space for faculty that work in the department. 

“I really liked all the opportunities Wartburg had for me. Being in the exercise science major I’m able to route toward nutrition wanting to be a dietitian that is something that is very     important that I had opportunities to either go the Biology route or the exercise science route and this new program will be able to offer a lot to me,” said Emerson Kracht, a first-year student and volleyball player, said she chose Wartburg because of the exercise science program and her interest in being a dietitian.  

Wartburg student athletes and exercise science majors patiently await their opportunity to take their next big step into the future through bettering themselves in the classroom and on the playing field now in the Health and Human Performance Center and the Meyer Strength and Conditioning Annex.  

“The new addition and renovation to the W, I think is going to be very beneficial to students. Being on the volleyball team and an exercise science major, right now on the volleyball team we are using it as a lifting area. It will be used as a classroom that I will sitting in at some time. I think that the new addition will offer all student athletes a bigger and better space to improve their strength and conditioning. In turn, I think that will create more success in all of our programs,” said Kracht about the impact the new additions to the W can have for student athletes and exercise science majors.  

The new additions come after fundraising and gifts from alumni, family members and Board of Regents members.