COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s and women’s lacrosse programs will soon have a spectacular new home after the Ohio State Board of Trustees today approved the construction of a lacrosse-specific stadium that will be constructed in the heart of Ohio State’s Athletic District. Construction is expected to begin in November.
To be built in between the Ty Tucker Tennis Center and the Jennings Wrestling Facility, the Buckeyes’ new home will have a capacity of 2,000 and include a heated and lighted field, press box with broadcast facilities and an indoor shooting room. Total cost of the project is $21.5 million with an anticipated completion date of November 2022. Ruscilli Construction will manage the construction of the facility.
“I’m excited for our lacrosse teams to have a state-of-the-art facility dedicated exclusively to lacrosse,” said Janine Oman, senior deputy athletic director, Senior Women’s Administrator and sport administrator for the men’s and women’s lacrosse programs. “It will provide them with year-round training and shows the commitment Ohio State has to providing our student-athletes everything necessary for an exceptional experience. We’ll also have the chance to tell the unique story of our two programs through their history, tradition and brand. This is a great day for Ohio State and for our lacrosse programs.”
The cost of the project will be covered entirely through philanthropic support. The stadium will be the newest addition to the Athletic District, which includes the Schumaker Complex, Ty Tucker Tennis Center at the Auer Tennis Complex, Covelli Center and Jennings Wrestling Facility. The District gives hundreds of student-athletes and coaches state-of-the-art facilities in which to train and compete.
“This is very positive news and the next big next step in efforts to build a home for Buckeye lacrosse,” said head men’s lacrosse coach Nick Myers. “We are so grateful for all the people that have believed and committed to supporting this project. The leadership of our administration through this process, especially Gene Smith and Janine Oman, has been remarkable and inspiring. We can’t thank them enough. The stadium is going to be like no other in college lacrosse. We are really looking forward to seeing our new home come to life over the next 15 months.”
WATCH: Coach Myers and Coach Bokker talk about the new lacrosse stadium
The men’s and women’s programs currently compete at both the Woody Hayes Athletic Center indoor field and Ohio Stadium. This new facility will give each program a unique home field advantage on game days while serving as a practice location throughout the season. It will also become a central location for camps, clinics and lacrosse-specific events throughout the year, truly making it a centerpiece for the sport in the state of Ohio.
“We are so grateful for everyone who played a part in making the new home of Buckeye lacrosse a reality,” said head women’s lacrosse coach Amy Bokker. “Our team is fired up and full of so much pride surrounding the opportunity to represent Buckeye Nation in this new, state-of-the-art facility. This will make such a positive impact for our student-athletes and the future of our program. Go Buckeyes!”
In addition to a state-of-the-art playing surface, the stadium will also include home and visiting gameday locker rooms, a 6,700-square-foot concourse level grandstand and press box and a 4,600-square-foot building on the north end of the stadium that will feature the indoor shooting room and other event space.
On the current timeline, both the men’s and women’s programs would compete in the stadium for the first time in the winter/spring of 2023.
