Wellness Center Expansion Provides New Opportunities for University and Vermillion Area Community
Beginning in summer 2022, the Wellness Center expansion will add an estimated 45,800 gross square feet to the original facility. The expansion will include a 50-meter competition pool with seating for 400, a second pool for wellness and recreation activities, a hot tub, steam room, restrooms and locker rooms.
“The expansion is important for the university and the Vermillion community because it will create state-of-the-art pool facilities that provide opportunities for recreation, fitness and competitive swimming,” said Kim Grieve, Ph.D, vice president for student services and dean of students. “The facility will better meet the high demand for indoor pool space.”
The university saw a need for new pool facilities, as the current pool, located in the DakotaDome, is over 40 years old. The addition will help address athlete, student, faculty, staff and community needs and will create more opportunities to provide programming to engage students.
“We will be able to offer more intramural programs, such as battleship and water volleyball, as well as hold more aqua fitness classes, such as paddleboard yoga, aqua kickboxing and more,” said Grieve.
One of the most anticipated additions is NinjaCross, a customizable obstacle course that can be raised or lowered from the ceiling into the pool. NinjaCross is designed to engage members and deliver event-worthy competition and addictive strength training at the push of a button.
“The ninja cross retractable obstacle course will be an inviting attraction that offers a fun, unique fitness challenge in an aqua environment,” said Grieve.
The addition will also provide ample experiences for the Vermillion community. To meet the various demographics within the community, many activities will be offered and available to the public, such as lap swim, open swim, and youth and adult swim lessons. The facility will also offer hours that meet the needs of community members and families.
“This is an exciting addition to the Wellness Center that we have been working on for a while,” Steve Mayer, Wellness Center director, said. “The new expansion brings plenty of new opportunities in many areas of water fitness and wellness.”
The addition of the 50-meter competition pool also provides new opportunities for swimming and diving athletes. The new competition pool will allow for multiple team events and invitational meets for all age groups. With seating for 400 patrons, the facility will allow for a better viewing experience for all fans.
Jason Mahowald, swimming and diving head coach, said that the competition pool is game-changing to the program and will help with training, recruiting and hosting meets.
“The new competition pool will allow the athletes to train at the same time on a more consistent basis, which will help foster a stronger team culture,” Mahowald said. “The addition is an overall investment in their team, and it will make the athletes’ overall experience at USD better.”
