WILLIAMSBURG— William & Mary leadership, current student athletes, alumni, and friends of the college gathered in February to cut the ribbon and celebrate the grand opening of the Mackesy Sports Performance Center.
The Mack, as it is known around campus, is the newest addition to William & Mary. The $67 million dollar project was funded by donations and money allocated by the university and broke ground in the spring of 2022.
The facility features the Gordinier Strength Training Center, Gerdelman Family Court, viewing hall, a Sports Medicine Suite, and Connelly Mental Health & Performance Suite. The project also included a renovation of the weight room in Kaplan Arena, the Hays T. Watkins Strength Training Center. The project provided 12 new or renovated locker rooms to support W&M student-athletes as well as new locker rooms and offices for coaches and staff.
“The most important thing about this new space is that it sends a message to all 23 sports, all 520 student athletes, and our alumni that athletics matters here. All of our student athletes matter and we’re doing all that we can to match the investment that they make to us when they decide to come here,” Brian Mann, Director of Athletics, said.
The space also houses an academic lounge for student athletes and coaching staff offices; with the overall goal of the complex becoming a new hub for all athletic teams at the university.
During the opening celebration in February, William & Mary officials welcomed back athletics alumni, current student athletes, and community members to tour the new 36,000 square foot space and see what William & Mary athletics is all about.
Mann hopes the new space changes the future of Tribe athletics for years to come.
“From a recruiting standpoint, I hope the message it sends to prospective student athletes and their families is that not only athletics matters here at a high academic institution, but it also shows that we’re going to give you everything that you need to achieve the greatest outcome. The student athletes that come to William & Mary are high achievers, very interested in data supported efforts, they want to make sure they are achieving their very best and they are constantly looking for those margins of excellence in their performance and their recovery, and we’re now able to meet that and provide the technology, equipment, and the data driven decisions on their growth and development that they are looking for as a result of this new facility,” Mann added.
The Mack is located adjacent to Kaplan Arena.