Excitement fills campus for 2013-2014 athletics as the renovations to Blackstock Stadium are complete and the construction around the Lilly Center takes shape.
When the football team opens its home campaign on Sept. 21 against Wittenberg University, fans will notice some drastic changes.
This summer, 87,000 square feet of Astroturf were put down to replace the old grass playing surface.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Murray feels that the new field has brought energy to the team.
"It's a major upgrade. The biggest thing that it provides is an uplift to the team," Murray said. "We have a good feeling that people can come play us with respect."
Murray also addressed the issue of potential danger from playing on turf.
"Some people argue that turf causes more injuries, but I believe that because of the newness of the turf, it hasn't affected us in that way," he said.
The new field will be named in honor of Nick Mourouzis, DePauw's all-time leader in football coaching victories, at a ceremony during the Old Gold game on Oct. 12 against Oberlin College.
There are other major field renovations going on aside from the football stadium. Construction has already begun on a new multisport arena, Reavis Stadium. It will feature a 90,000 square foot playing field that will be the new home of the men's and women's soccer, lacrosse and field hockey teams.
The new practice field, located directly next to Reavis, features a 90,000 square foot field that will be used by the teams as well as students participating in intramural sporting events.
Senior soccer player Logan Cash is very excited about the opportunity to train on a new Astroturf field.
"When it would rain, the field would get wrecked. When you have turf like that, you don't have to worry about the conditions," Cash said. "As a team, we're all excited about that."
In addition, Cash understands the benefit of this project to the school as a whole.
"It's very rare to get this big of a renovation," Cash said. "It's going to do some benefit to our school in more ways than people can imagine."
The teams will still use Boswell Field this year and will begin playing at Reavis Stadium at the start of the 2014 season.
Another renovation this summer was on the Lilly Physical Education and Recreation Center. While still under construction, students can start to see the project taking shape.
A plan is in place to add a new two-story fitness center that can be used by all students. New multipurpose rooms are being installed to make room for different types of fitness classes. The racquetball courts will be removed to allow more room for the department of kinesiology offices and laboratories. Finally, additional locker rooms will be added for recreational purposes.
These new additions to the athletic department will help DePauw's athletes and students for years to come by providing them with an optimal place to train and learn.