LR unveils $3 million sports performance facility

Lenoir-Rhyne University held a ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday afternoon to officially unveil the Neill McGeachy Sports Performance Center, a new $3-million multi-purpose facility that will impact all 22 intercollegiate sports in both sports performance and personal development. The facility was named for McGeachy '65, former director of intercollegiate athletics and executive director of the Bears Club, who died in 2018.

The 14,000 square-foot sports performance center, funded entirely through philanthropic gifts, will provide LR student-athletes a state-of-the-art facility for daily training and competition. The sports performance center features a weight room, nutrition bar and indoor turf training area, dedicated team meeting rooms, additional coaches' offices, and an enclosed pavilion and outdoor courtyard for Bears Club hospitality and engagement space.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Kim Pate, vice president for athletics, highlighted the competitive advantages of the facility for LR student-athletes, as well as the recruitment benefits and community engagement spaces that serve the broader campus and community. Other key speakers included University President Dr. Fred Whitt, and Board of Trustees Chair Madeleine Dassow '75.

"This is a remarkable facility," Pate said. "With the generosity of our loyal donors, the sports performance center will provide our student-athletes with one of the best training spaces in Division II athletics and also serve as a space to welcome and engage the broader campus and community."