WALNUT — The Mt. San Antonio State College community has cut the ribbon to officially open the Mt. SAC Athletics Complex East. This will replace old buildings that were undersized, outdated, and not fully accessible, according to officials.
Heritage Hall is the building that will serve as an entry point into the new and improved Hilmer Lodge Stadium and the home to the Kinesiology, Athletics and Dance Division offices.
“It really did motivate me a lot this year knowing that the school put so much time, effort and money into this,” said second year basketball player and nursing student, Elle Yick, “It definitely did motivate me and I feel like I did get more prepared for my games and my practices.”
Yick added that the spacious new facilities allow her to practice for longer and with more flexibility. This ease of access has made her feel stronger as she works toward earning an athletics scholarship to transfer into private nursing program.
Officials boasted that the 110,000-square-foot facility is equipped with “state of the art” equipment for aquatics, a gymnasium and a wellness center. Additionally, the new facilities are designed to ensure compliance with the regulations of college athletics and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I’m just so fulfilled and so excited to see the students, our faculty and staff in the spaces that their programs so richly deserve — these are immense and successful programs,” said Joe Jennum, Dean of Kinesiology, Athletics & Dance and Director of Athletics, “Now we have facilities that match what these students and coaches and staff have been doing for many years.
The Mt. SAC Athletics Program teams, known as the “Mounties,” include 23 intercollegiate sports: men’s baseball, basketball, women’s beach volleyball, cross country, men’s football, golf, soccer, women’s softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, women’s volleyball, water polo and men’s wrestling. Alumni Bob Seagren is an Olympic gold medalist in track and field for the pole vault and other athletes have gone on to the NFL, MLB and MMA.
Despite the roster, Jennum said that in his last 27 years working at Mt. SAC, he has promoted the need for upgraded facilities. He noted that the old facility was more than 30 years old with outdated equipment and only provided 1000 square feet of space.
As the request kept being passed over, he thought he’d never see the much needed upgrades happen. It wasn’t until 2018 that both state funding and Measure GO — $750 million education bond, which would cost approximately 2.5 cents per $100 of assessed property value — made the facility a reality.
He added that the new facility opens up the opportunity to host local, regional and statewide championships and tournaments.
The building’s design was contracted to Saiful Bouquet Structural Engineers but Marc Ruh told the crowd that the Mt. SAC community were welcomed to participate in the design process.
“That fact alone has helped to make this a facility that truly meets the needs of our students and community,” he said.
The additions also include the Douglas W. Smith Museum of Mt. SAC Athletics — a 2,200-square-foot interactive exhibit and artifacts space to educate visitors on Mt. SAC Athletics history. Within this new space, the Don and Sandi Ruh Family Education Center will serve as classroom as well as part event space with multi-purpose room to teach students, conduct athletic clinics, hold team banquets and host campus and community events.
Now that the Kinesiology and Athletics Complex is complete, Gymnasium Building 3, Exercise Science/Wellness Center 27A, Pool 27B, and Physical Education Center 27C will be removed at a date yet to be determined.
“Even for the other sports programs that get to use this facility — I just know that there’s going to be even more history that’s going to be made,” Yick said.
