UPMC to sponsor new sports complex at Westminster College

NEW WILMINGTON, PA – Westminster College’s soccer and lacrosse players will have a dedicated field for their use next fall thanks to a 10-year UPMC sponsorship announced on Saturday, Oct. 20.

UPMC Jameson and UPMC Horizon President Don Owrey and Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson announced the establishment of the UPMC Sports Complex, which will serve as home to the Westminster men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse programs.

This new complex, expected to begin construction in early summer 2019, will feature a synthetic turf field and field lights and will be located adjacent to the Memorial Field House. Terraced bleachers and a press box will be added at a later phase of construction. The complex will also include the west end existing tennis courts, which will be expanded and refurbished at a later date.

“We are grateful for UPMC’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves and for this sponsorship that will make such a difference on our campus,” said Richardson. “The UPMC Sports Complex will further the Titan tradition of competitive athletics and will foster student success for the student-athletes.”

The complex will not only benefit soccer, lacrosse and tennis student-athletes, but it will also be used by other groups such as the marching band, intramural sports, and summer camp-goers.

“As the number of student-athletes on our campus continues to increase, so does our need to improve and expand our athletic facilities,” said Westminster Athletic Director Jim Dafler. “This sponsorship from UPMC is a huge step in helping us meet the needs of all our student-athletes.”

This is not the first joint venture between Westminster College and UPMC. Currently the Westminster School of Nursing and Health Sciences is partnering with the Jameson Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, part of UPMC Schools of Nursing, to provide a program for students pursuing a career in nursing.

“These partnerships further demonstrate UPMC’s commitment to our local region, to improve the health, wellness, and vitality of the communities we serve,” said Owrey. “Our partnership with Westminster is a perfect example of how UPMC is collaborating within our community to reimagine health care delivery for the future.”

ABOVE PHOTO: Westminster and UPMC representatives pose with an artist’s rendering of the new UPMC Sports Complex. Seated from left are Tricia Ryan, Westminster director of nursing; Robin Gooch, chair of the Westminster Board of Trustees; Westminster President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson; Don Owrey, president of UPMC Jameson and UPMC Horizon; and Jayne Sheehan, director of Jameson Memorial School of Nursing, part of the UPMC Schools of Nursing. Standing from left are Kenneth Romig, vice president for finance and management at Westminster and a UPMC Jameson/UPMC Horizon board member; Gary Brown, Westminster trustee and chair of the board’s athletic advisory committee; Frank Moses, UPMC Jameson/UPMC Horizon board vice chair; Frank Mindicino, UPMC Jameson/UPMC Horizon board chair; Al Boland, UPMC vice president of operations; Doug Lucas, UPMC senior director of marketing and communications; and Kim Eldridge, coach of the Westminster women’s lacrosse team.

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