Eureka Announces Wellness Center Project

Eureka College announced the start of a multi-phase project to establish a wellness center in the Reagan Athletic Complex. The initial phase will begin summer 2017 and will include the conversion of the swimming pool and the addition of a weight room. The long-term vision for the space also includes a multipurpose studio, artificial turf area with batting cages and additional locker rooms. The project is expected to be complete by the fall of 2019. The College will discontinue the men's and women's swimming and diving programs as a part of this plan.

"The Wellness Center at the Reagan Athletic Complex will provide us a tremendous opportunity to support the health and well-being of our campus community and local community with new programmatic offerings within our new and renovated facilities," Eureka College Director of Athletics Steve Thompson said. "These new offerings will begin this summer and expand when students return in the fall."

The renovation will open a wide variety of wellness opportunities for the campus and surrounding community. In addition to the renovated weight room and opportunity for use of indoor batting cages during the winter months, the College will introduce new programming including, yoga and weight-lifting classes this fall.

"The Wellness Center Project is another step toward more intentional alignment and integration of the College's curricular and co-curricular goals," said Eureka College President Jamel Santa Cruze Wright. "Health and wellness will be more emphasized in the future and this multi-use space will provide expanded options that our students and the community will enjoy."

The Wellness Center at the Reagan Athletic Complex is the latest in a series of improvements to Eureka's athletics facilities. Eureka will install an artificial turf surface and lights at McKinzie Field in the Pete FioRito Stadium prior to Eureka's Sept. 2, 2017 home football opener versus Knox College. The Eureka men's and women's soccer programs will also play select matches at McKinzie Field beginning in 2017.

Additionally, the 2015 renovation resulted in the Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center, an indoor facility for Eureka volleyball, women's and men's basketball. The arena features 1,000 chair-back seats and a state-of- the-art flooring system, the only Division III facility of its kind in the state of Illinois.

STORY COURTESY OF EUREKA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION