Cambridge, Mass. (April 23) – MIT's Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) is excited to announce that it has reached the $5 million goal to move forward with the Sports Performance Center renovation project.
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"We are truly grateful for the generosity of the many donors who supported the vision for this project, which will have a transformational impact on the experience of our current and future students," said
Dr. G. Anthony Grant, MIT Director of Athletics/DAPER Department Head. "Providing the appropriate strength and conditioning resources is essential to enable our 800 student-athletes across 33 varsity sports to achieve their optimal physical performance. The expansion of the sports performance facility will better position DAPER to meet the needs of our student-athletes, as well as expand training and teaching opportunities of the broader student population."
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The new 8,000 square foot sports performance facility, designed by Sasaki Design architects will triple the size of the current facility. Included in the space will be new Sorinex weight equipment, turf sprint track, increased office space, enhanced teaching areas, and cohesive MIT branding. Construction on the sports performance facility will begin in mid-April, with projected completion by early Fall 2024.
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"This is a huge step forward for MIT athletics," said
Rob Watts, DAPER Director of Sport Performance. "The new space will provide an instant upgrade to the physical preparation training for our student-athletes and open the runway for continued growth of the Sports Performance department. Thank you to all the donors who made this possible, we are extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to better serve our student-athletes through your generosity."
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As part of the renovation, DAPER is collaborating with faculty in the MIT Sports Lab to identify opportunities to incorporate performance tracking technology within the space. This technology will allow our strength and conditioning coaches to work with our student-athletes to develop more enhanced individual training programs informed by the data collected. The collaboration with the MIT Sports Lab will further align the department of athletics with the academic mission of the Institute.
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Follow this link to view the design and floor plan.
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