By Jim Biros and Jon Garver
In athletics, home field advantage can be the difference between winning and losing. For many years, the University of Wisconsin-Superior men’s and women’s soccer teams, as well as the men’s and women’s track and field teams, have been without a true home. The Yellowjacket soccer teams played home matches at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex with the outdoor track and field teams not hosting a home event in several years.
“We’ve been blessed to have an outdoor track on campus already, but the track we have is very old, outdated and very tired,” said Glen Drexler, head coach for men’s and women’s cross country and track & field at UW-Superior. “Cracks the size of the Grand Canyon have opened up in many areas of the track and rendered it unsuitable for competition and barely useable for practice.”
That is all set to change with the opening of Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium on the UW-Superior campus. The stadium will serve as the home for the UW-Superior men’s and women’s soccer teams as well as the men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams.
“Having the Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium come to fruition this fall means so much to me, especially to have it for my final season as a Yellowjacket,” said Niya Wilson, a business administration major and member of the women’s soccer team at UW-Superior. “Being able to ‘break in’ the field for the generations to come is a unique feeling. I think this will serve as a large step forward for Yellowjacket Athletics and that the teams of the future will be able to build their game on a deeper level than ever before.”
The facility will feature a regulation turf playing surface surrounded by a nine-lane track, along with grandstand and press facilities. Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium will also benefit academic courses, campus intramurals and the Superior community at large.
“This project will mark one of the largest investments we’ve made into our outdoor facilities over the past several decades,” said UW-Superior Director of Athletics Nick Bursik. “We pride ourselves on offering a high-quality student-athlete experience, and this new stadium will further evaluate our abilities to support our student-athletes and enhance the visibility and profile of our university. We are deeply appreciative to Superior Choice Credit Union for helping ensure the project’s viability and investing further into our university and community.”
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Through a historic gift to Yellowjacket Athletics, Superior Choice Credit Union holds the naming rights to the facility, as well as the standing area and lounge area – previously the Yellowjacket Room – at Wessman Arena.
“Superior Choice Credit Union has been a strong partner of the university and we’re thrilled that through their contribution we’ll be able to further enhance our athletics programs and campus vibrancy,” said UW-Superior Chancellor Renée Wachter.
“I work in the Athletics Department, which means I’ve seen firsthand the amount of work and time that has gone into this project,” said Wilson. “We as UW-Superior student-athletes are lucky to have administrators and coaches who advocate for us and the community.”
Construction on the $7.4 million project began April 15. Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium is located adjacent to the Marcovich Wellness Center.
“Funding this new athletic facility and stadium for UW-Superior speaks directly to who we are as a credit union and our mission to positively impact our members and our communities,” said Tim Foster, CEO and President of Superior Choice Credit Union. “We opened our doors in Superior in 1932 and are deeply rooted in the Superior community. This partnership with UWS was a natural fit and we look forward to seeing this stadium full of athletes, students, our employees and members and local community.”
A HOME OF THEIR OWN
For both Yellowjacket student athletes and coaches, the on-campus stadium will mean finally having a place to call their own.
“I am most looking forward to simply having a field to call our own,” said Wilson, a native of Superior. “Feeling like guests on the NBC Spartan Sports Complex will be no more and it will bring a greater sense of pride in being a Yellowjacket soccer player. There is something very special about being the first group to play on a newly constructed home stadium and I’m elated that our great group of student-athletes will be the ones to do it.”
That excitement is also shared by Yellowjacket coaching staff.
“I’m most looking forward to the ease of having a film session to talk through tactics, walk out of the Marcovich Wellness Center and be able to immediately put the topics into practice,” said Allison DeGroot, head women’s soccer coach at UW-Superior. “I’m looking forward to having a facility that is branded in a way that ensures our athletes can see and feel that they are home for games and meets. It will also be extremely helpful to have a space for our athletes to train at on their own or for individual sessions outside of practice times. This facility will allow our athletes to truly work on their craft and develop within their sport. It is hard to calculate how much time and energy having a field right here on campus will save for our students and how the added opportunities will multiply their development.”
The new facility will also welcome a new era for Yellowjacket track & field.
“What is great for us, is, for the first time in nearly 20 years, we’ll be able to host a home meet and more,” said Drexler.
Superior Choice Credit Union Stadium will be poised to host conference championships and other collegiate meets that haven’t taken place in Superior since the late 1990s. There will also be the potential to host high school meets along regional and sectional competitions from the surrounding Wisconsin and Minnesota regions.
“Just speaking from our own team’s day-to-day perspective, being able to train on a top-of-the-line track surface and be able to utilize the injury reduction characteristics to train and stay healthy will be critical for our student-athletes as well as our students and local community,” said Drexler. P.S.
Jim Biros is Communications Specialist in the University Marketing and Communications Department. Jon Garver is Director of Athletic Communications at the university.