Pace Athletics To Expand Women’s Sport Opportunities; Will Add Lacrosse and Field Hockey to the Department

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y.– Director of Athletics Mark Brown has announced the expansion of the Pace Athletics Department with the additions of Women’s Lacrosse and Women’s Field Hockey. These new programs will allow more female athletes to participate in Pace's sports program and will ensure that the department is more closely aligned with federal Title IX regulations. The expansion of the Pace Athletics sport opportunities will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Pace University Pleasantville campus as well as the revitalization of the University’s Pleasantville campus beginning this fall. 

The new women’s lacrosse program will begin a national search for a head coach later this month with the first year of the program slated to begin in the spring of 2015. A national search for a head coach for the women’s field hockey program will commence in early 2014 and competition will start in the fall of 2015. Construction of the new multi-purpose turf field will begin in spring 2015 and is scheduled to be completed by August 2015. 

The fully approved three-year Master Plan will result in the consolidation of the Briarcliff campus at Pleasantville and include a wide range of important improvements including significantly expanded and upgraded athletics facilities. The athletics department component includes reconstruction of the Peter X. Finnerty Baseball Field with a turf surface and lights. Pace Field, previously home to the football and lacrosse teams will transition to a multi-purpose field to accommodate needs of football, field hockey, women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse. The new facility will be a synthetic surface with lights, 2,500 seats, and a new press box. 

Other athletics-related improvements include the creation of a new softball field behind Dyson Hall to replace the field now at Briarcliff and construction of a varsity field house with locker rooms, administrative offices, a varsity weight room, sports medicine training facilities, along with concession and ticketing areas adjacent to the multipurpose field. 

The addition of two new facilities to the Pleasantville campus, with synthetic surfaces and lights, will create a more robust intramural program, an exceptional game day atmosphere and provide a game day facility for youth and high school teams throughout the region.

Brown commented, “I applaud the vision of our University administration. President Friedman’s leadership is transforming our institution and this campus consolidation project is a perfect example of this.  Our updated athletic facilities will not only enhance the student-athlete experience but also campus life and school pride as well.”  

The following is the projected timeline for the $100 million first phase of the plan.
Fall 2013- Construction begins on the relocation of the environmental center.
Spring 2014 – Construction begins on the first residence hall. Target completion is July 2015.
Summer 2014- Construction begins on new athletic field house. Target completion is March 2015.
Fall 2014 - Construction of new softball field on the Pleasantville campus begins. Target completion is December 2014.
Spring 2015- Construction begins on new multi-purpose turf field and related facilities. Target completion is August 2015.
Summer 2015- Construction of turf baseball field begins. Target completion is October 2015.

About Pace Athletics: Pace University is an NCAA Division II member of the Northeast-10 Conference that sponsors 12 intercollegiate sports. Pace also sponsors a Spirit Squad which includes Dance and Cheerleading teams. In the Spring 2013 semester, 54% of Pace student-athletes achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or higher with nine recording a perfect 4.0 GPA. Pace finished tied with the fourth highest percentage in the 15-member conference.  

About Pace University: Pace University is a comprehensive, independent University with campuses in New York City and Westchester County. Nearly 14,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the Lubin School of Business, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, School of Education, School of Law and College of Health Professions. http://www.pace.edu