WAYNESBURG, Pa. (June 15) – For the second time in less than a calendar year, Waynesburg University is undergoing a major change to its athletic facilities. Due to construction on campus for the new Roberts Chapel, the school's tennis courts have been reconstructed in a new location. Veteran head tennis coach Ron Christman's men's and women's teams will inaugurate the courts during the 2010-2011 seasons.
A new home facility for the tennis team is under construction next to the baseball field, which was installed for the 2010 campaign. The venue will showcase six courts with enclosed fencing featuring rounded California corners, replacing the over 100-year old predecessors. Better spacing between individual courts and between the baselines and fences will allow for safer play and fewer stoppages when balls cross into courts other than their own.
Amity Asphalt has been contracted to take on the project. It is the same company that surfaced Waynesburg's John F. Wiley Stadium and the school's baseball field. The site adds another state-of-the-art facility for the university.
The court surface will be green Decoturf, which is the same surface used at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Other features of the courts are still being finalized.
“Based on talks with Ron [Christman], it will be a major improvement,” said Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Roy Barnhart. “Now the teams won't have to worry about getting the matches in with this facility.”
Playing on the old three-court facility, previous seasons included difficulties in completing matches. Christman believes this problem will no longer be an issue.
“Six courts will reduce dual match time by as much as two hours,” Christman said. “Typically, our matches ran longer by an hour to and hour-and-a-half, but longer matches were not unusual. Matches on six courts will take two to three hours to complete.”
Christman also sees the courts as a major asset to the future of both the men's and women's programs when it comes to future recruits and scheduling.
“Not having six courts was always a huge issue for us in recruiting and even in scheduling home matches,” Christman said. “The significant increase in home matches for both men and women this coming year is due specifically to the new facility with six courts.”
During the 2010 spring men's tennis season, Waynesburg didn't play a match at home due to campus construction, while the women played five home dates in the fall of 2009. This upcoming fall, the Yellow Jacket women are scheduled to play eight matches at their new facility and the men are currently set to play seven.
According to Barnhart, programs from outside of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) have already shown interest in playing at the new facility, which is expected to be completed by Aug. 1, 2010. The Waynesburg women are scheduled to play the first match on the courts Sept. 14 against Frostburg State.
