New Turf
The artificial playing surface on Leemon Field was replaced and upgraded during the
summer of 2015.
The new surface is manufactured by Shaw Sports Turf of Calhoun, Ga. The removal of
the current turf surface, along with the site preparation and installation of the
new turf surface, was done by Byrne and Jones Sports Construction of St. Louis, Mo.
The Legion brand of Sports Turf that was installed at Leemon Field features a combination
of high-performance monofilament fiber and a durable slit film fiber that provides
a soft and resilient playing surface with the performance and durability required
from multi-use fields. The product also uses a mixture of rubber and sand infill that
provides a firm and consistent surface that also meets all of the latest safety requirements.
Currently, Leemon Field is home to McKendree’s football, men’s and women’s soccer,
and women’s lacrosse programs.
“The combination fiber field will give the best combination of playability and durability
for our student-athletes,” said equipment manager and project coordinator Brad Oster ’98, MBA ’06. “For a sport like soccer, the combination fiber turf allows the ball to roll at
a more consistent speed in all directions. At the same time, it is durable enough
to handle the players cutting and pivoting for football and lacrosse.”
