Colorado State University Athletics
CSU track & field announces upgrades to Jack Christiansen Track
6/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State track & field program and head coach Brian Bedard have announced plans to upgrade its home facility, Jack Christiansen Track. Demolition of the facility is expected to begin the week of June 12.
This marks the first planned upgrades for Jack Christiansen Track since 2008, when a press box and seats were added and the track was resurfaced. Since Jack Christiansen Track opened in 1989, the Rams have hosted many of the region's top meets, including three conference championships.
"Our staff and athletes are extremely excited about the new facility," Bedard said. "It will help move our program forward on several levels. It will help with recruiting, training and hosting quality home meets. We are thankful to everyone involved who helped make this possible."
This $2.4 million investment in the Rams' track & field team, which frequently exceeds 100 athletes in roster size, follows one of the most successful years in program history. CSU set program records for first-team and second-team All-Americans during the 2016-17 indoor season (seven), and matched the program record during the 2017 outdoor season (five). The Rams' men ended the indoor season ranked No. 12 in the NCAA, the program's all-time highest indoor finish.
"It has been decades since the track's surface was replaced; it has reached a critical state of disrepair," director of athletics Joe Parker said. "For our track & field students to safely train and compete, we needed to address the deteriorating conditions and a full replacement, including the substrate, was necessary. When completed, we will have one of the finest running surfaces in the country."
A complete replacement of the track is among the expected upgrades for the Rams' home facility. As part of that plan, the base below the track would be replaced, and a new, state-of-the-art track surface would be installed above it. Among the features of the planned track is that it would be installed such that sprints and hurdles could be run either on the east or west straightaways to take advantage of the wind. That, along with a planned design that includes wide-radius turns, would potentially improve distance, sprints and hurdles times.
In addition, the competition area for the high jump and javelin is expected to be expanded, enhancing competition in those respective events. The runways for the pole vault would also be replaced on the west side of Jack Christiansen Track. The runways for the long jump and triple jump are expected to be relocated to the east side of facility, allowing added space for each of the pole vault, long jump and triple jump.
The plans for the hammer and discus cage include a shift to the center of the facility's north side as part of the upgrades to the field events area. The cage would be flanked by a pair of shot put throwing sectors, with one planned to be on each of the east and west sides of the cage.
The Rams' home facility was named in honor of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jack Christiansen, who was one of the most decorated sprinters in early program history. Among other accomplishments, Christiansen previously set the program record in the 440 yards (47.6), a mark that stood for over two decades.