UHV Athletics shares plans for future sports complex
A graphic rendering of the proposed UHV Athletics complex was shown to attendees of Saturday's Night For the Jaguars Dinner, Auction and Dance. The design was created by CannonDesign.
University of Houston-Victoria Athletics supporters got a glimpse of the future Saturday during a Night for the Jaguars Dinner, Auction and Dance when sketches of the university’s proposed athletics complex were unveiled.
The proposed complex is the result of a study by CannonDesign, a global architecture, engineering and design firm with an office in Houston. The complex will be built on 65-acres off of Business Highway 59 on Big Bend Road near the Victoria Regional Airport, about four miles from the university’s main campus. The land was gifted to UHV Athletics in 2018 by the Bennett-Wood family and is valued at $820,000, the largest donation ever made to support UHV Athletics.
“This complex will allow UHV to expand its programs beyond baseball, softball, soccer and golf by giving us our own facilities,” UHV Athletics Director Ashley Walyuchow said. “This will be a boost for UHV and for the community.”
The sketches were shown to UHV supporters during the event at Schroeder Hall. The estimated cost of the proposal is about $25.5 million. However, the complex will be constructed in different sections for specific sports. This way, each field and the accompanying facilities can be constructed as funds become available, Walyuchow said.
“UHV Athletics is a major asset to UHV and the community,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “This proposal is an exciting step forward, and I am looking forward to seeing how the future facilities will help our student-athletes, the university and our community.”
The proposal includes fields for baseball, softball and soccer, as well as locker room facilities and a central concessions building. The 65-acre site allows enough space to accommodate facilities as UHV adds athletics programs, Walyuchow said.
An additional advantage will be that UHV’s facilities will be available for outside groups to use, such as high school playoffs and tournaments or even events such as outdoor concerts.
“There’s so much potential for these facilities to bring extra business to the Victoria area,” Walyuchow said. “Visitors will bring in outside money to spend at hotels, restaurants, gas stations and more.”
Since state funds cannot be spent on athletic programs, building the facilities will rely heavily on community support and donations. For more information about how to support UHV Athletics, contact the office at 361-485-4423 or athletics@uhv.edu.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
