Where Bearcats Grow Stronger
Bearcat athletes are training for competition in a new 7,500-square-foot Sports Performance and Wrestling Center in the Lebanon Commons shopping center on the west side of town. The new facility
contains 2,400 square feet of artificial turf, the tallest squat racks made, over
19,000 pounds of free weights, and three sets of five to 100-pound dumbbells. A cushioned
floor made of recycled athletic shoes provides comfort and safety in the weight training
area. A giant photo of Bearcat student athletes from every sport stretches across
the back wall. Banners from recent championship years hang in the adjacent Wrestling
Center, where McKendree’s nationally ranked men’s and women’s teams hold their practices
and workouts. The new center was made possible by a collaboration and long-term lease
agreement with Lebanon Commons developer Dean Oelze. Donors gave gifts to outfit the
weight room and purchase mats for the Wrestling Center.
Participating in the ribbon cutting were Dr. James Dennis, president; Dean and Amanda Oelze, developers of Lebanon Commons; Chuck Brueggemann ’88, athletic director; Jordan Fark ’09, strength and conditioning coach; Caty Ponce ’15, Student Athletic Advisory Committee president; Sam Schmitz, women’s wrestling coach; and Mary Alice Koriath, Lebanon alderwoman.
A crowd gathered for the March 20, 2014 open house of the new Sports Performance and Wrestling Centers at 109 Perryman St. in Lebanon Commons.