By Julia Mericle
Assistant News Editor
A dedication service is planned today at 6 p.m. for the new Tom and Michelle Marra Athletic Fields Complex.
Tom Marra, ’80, who played baseball at Bonaventure, and his wife donated $1 million toward the project.
Marra said building the new complex was a way for the university to show a kind of commitment to the athletic community.
“My wife and I are big believers in student athletes and how important that whole experience is to making them big contributors to the communities they end up living in,” Marra said.
Darian Westerfield, senior associate athletic director for external relations, said the project is part of a plan created about 10 years ago by the university to establish priorities regarding facilities and staffing. Upgrading the fields topped the list.
“The biggest thing for us, as anybody in western New York sees, is the amount of snow and cold winters we get,” Westerfield said. “The field was desperately in need of turf.”
The project raised enough money to renovate the soccer, lacrosse and rugby fields.
Westerfield explained how the new fields will be an advantage for several teams, especially the women’s lacrosse team, who had to play all but one home game last year at Alfred State University. “It gets old driving 45 minutes to host your own home match,” Westerfield said.
The next phase will include turf on the softball field and new surrounding amenities, according to Westerfield.
Immediately following the dedication on Friday, the women’s soccer team will face Binghamton on the new field.
“The dedication is really a celebration of the support the Marras have given to us,” Westerfield said, “Financially, they’ve stepped up in a big way to support our student athletes and our coaches, not just now, but in the future.”
There will be an official unveiling of a new sign at the dedication where several donors, including Marra, will be in attendance.
Speaking about the complex, Westerfield said, “It was essentially a field behind the Riley Center that we played sports on, and now it is an athletic facility and it is much more conducive to athletic competition.”
