‘A SPECTACULAR UPGRADE’ AT WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY

Wichita State held a groundbreaking ceremony for its $13.8 million Student-Athlete Success Center on Tuesday just outside of where it will be constructed on the southeast corner of Koch Arena with an expected completion date of July 2020.

The Student-Athlete Success Center will be a 36,000-square-foot, two-level facility devoted to the academic and athletic development for all Wichita State student-athletes. It will feature a 2,500-square-foot study hall, tutoring rooms and a larger computer center. The WSU track and field program will also have a dedicated space in the facility.

“In this facilities’ arms race that is universities and college athletics, we’re all in,” WSU athletic director Darron Boatright said in his speech to around 100 in attendance.

“We ask (student-athletes) to be committed in everything they do, so we need to reciprocate and do everything we can to make sure we’re on the cutting edge and giving them the opportunities they need,” Boatright later told the media. “This project will touch every young person in our athletic department.”

While the project will enhance the academic experience for student-athletes on every WSU team, it’s clear that the biggest beneficiaries of the building will be track and field athletes.