For years the Utah Valley University track and field team hasn’t been able to practice on campus or hold its own meets. For years the Wolverines have had to rent time on a track at Mountain View High School in Orem. But that won’t be the case for long. Last Monday, UVU Athletic Director Mike Jacobsen announced at student athlete orientation that construction on a new track facility would start in the spring.
Thanks to principle donor Hal Wing, UVU will be able to fund the track that will cost 1.2 million dollars to build. The new track facility, which will provide seating for 1,500 spectators, will be located north of the McKay Center where the wetlands currently exist.
While the announcement has been made, there are still some hoops that need to be jumped through before construction can begin. The wetland location must be approved by the board of regents, and the legislature still has to approve the project.
“It’s a wonderful thing to have someone like Mr. and Mrs. Wing donate a lot of money, because it’s hard to fund that. But for our athletes, it’s going to be a great opportunity,” said track coach Scott Houle. “Without a track, you sort of stay stagnant; but they’ve given us the opportunity to keep moving forward.”
Wing, of Wing Enterprises the company that produces the Little Giant Ladder System, was delighted to donate to UVU, sighting his childhood of growing up on a farm and not having the opportunity to play sports as his motivation to help out the Wolverine athletes.
“Forgive me for saying this, but money is like manure,” Wing said. “If you put it in one pile it just sits there and stinks, but if you spread it around it makes things grow.”
