UNC Breaks Ground on New Empower Center During Student-Athlete Celebration
By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com
UNC Breaks Ground on New Empower Center During Student-Athlete Celebration
GREELEY, Colo. – For the past decade, Northern Colorado’s 400-plus student-athletes have shared training space in a 3,800-square-foot facility connected to Bank of Colorado Arena. This is all about to change as UNC broke ground on the Empower Center, a brand new 10,250-square-foot sports performance center, during a student-athlete celebration on Saturday, April 24.
More than triple the size of the existing weight room, the new stand-alone, state-of-the-art facility, named the Empower Center, will enhance the student-athlete experience at UNC and change the way the Bears train. Located just south of the football practice fields, the new center is UNC’s first 100% donor-funded campus building. As a part of the student-athlete celebration, UNC President Andy Feinstein, Athletic Director Darren Dunn along with softball student-athlete Dani Young and wrestling student-athlete Xavier Vasquez spoke about the new performance center. Also in attendance were lead project donors, John ’84 and Angela ’89 Schmidt. The Schmidts chose the name of the new facility to further emphasize their belief that success exists when people are empowered to be the best version of themselves.
“I am so grateful for all of our donors who made investments in this project, our student-athletes and the future of UNC Athletics. I’d especially like to thank John and Angela Schmidt for their unwavering support of UNC and their leadership on this project,” said President Feinstein. “The Empower Center is a great example of what we can achieve to position the next generation of UNC student-athletes for success when we work in partnership with our alumni and friends.”
Led by Roche Constructors, a Greeley-based company with offices in Nevada, Indiana and Westminster, Colorado, construction will be ongoing through the summer and the center will open in the fall of 2021.
“We want to recruit the best student-athletes, ‘Build Champions for Life’ and win conference championships,” Director of Athletics Darren Dunn said. “The Empower Center is a key foundational aspect to UNC’s future success, and it has truly been a collaborative effort with donors, President Andy Feinstein, the advancement team and the coaches working together to make this project a reality. I am so thankful for our donors, the President’s commitment to and belief in the project, Roche Constructors’ efforts and everyone who has been involved. Our student-athletes deserve the best and this will make such a difference for them.”
Updates and progress reports about the construction can be found throughout the summer on UNCBears.com. Learn more about the Empower Center in this article.
Ryan Pfeifer
Director of Strategic Communication
O: 970-351-3645 | C: 720-290-8886
#Bears Strong | @Rpfeifer82
