MATT VOLZ
Sports Editor
Photo by TRAVIS BERNHARD | Special to The Leader
In the late 20th century, Fredonia’s men’s track and field teams were powerhouses.
For two decades, the Blue Devils dominated the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), winning 20 straight conference titles from 1977 to 1996.
It’s been a while since then.
It’s also been a while since Fredonia was able to even host an outdoor track and field meet, as they haven’t hosted other teams since 2008.
However, that may soon change.
Construction has begun on a new outdoor track and field facility, located in the same place as the former track, which has been ripped up.
In addition to an eight-lane track, the facility will feature bleachers to seat 500 fans, a press box, restrooms, lights, a scoreboard and a storage facility to hold equipment.
There will also be spots for long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault and steeplechase.
Inside the track, a new turf field will be installed, complete with lines for soccer and lacrosse.
Across Ring Road, new throwing fields will be built, allowing for javelin, hammer throw, discus and shotput.
It’s a project that will certainly come with a price tag, but that money doesn’t come from the campus, as co-Interim Athletic Director P.J. Gondek explained.
For capital improvements on SUNY campuses, the State University Construction Fund foots the bill.
“The state goes from SUNY campus to SUNY campus upgrading facilities, so to speak,” said Gondek. “It goes into a queue, where certain campuses are looking for upgrades.”
This doesn’t just refer to athletic facilities, either. The fund also takes care of renovations to academic buildings and other facilities around campus.
When a facility is in need of upgrading, SUNY contracts outside companies to do the construction.
For the track, Lake Shore Paving is the general contractor, according to Director of Facilities Planning Markus Kessler.
While the name may suggest that they only handle paving, the Jamestown-based company also handles excavation and utility work, according to their website.
Kessler said that Lake Shore Paving has their own subcontractors who handle specific tasks.
Rodriguez Construction Group, based out of Buffalo, is in charge of restroom renovation and the completion of the storage facility.
Beck Electric Company is handling all of the electrical work, and Musco Lighting is in charge of the facility’s lights.
The lights will likely be the last piece of the puzzle to be completed, as Kessler explained.
In order to power the lights, the facility needs a new transformer to be built and installed that would share power between the track and the townhouses at University Village.
According to Kessler, the transformer swap will not affect any students living in the townhouses.
He said that construction and delivery of a new transformer will likely take six to eight months, but they’re hoping to have it sooner than that.
Outside of the lights, the goal for completion of the facility is next spring. “We’re hoping that it might be available for use for the outdoor track season, which would be spring 2026,” said Gondek.
Kessler said that while they can’t promise that everything will be ready to go for next spring, the goal is to accommodate enough for an event to be hosted at the facility. “We’re going to try very hard to do that so they can hold their event,” said Kessler. “Personally, I think they deserve it.”
As construction continues, head coach Tom Wilson meets with contractors every two weeks to stay updated on the project, ask questions and make sure nothing has been overlooked.
Wilson said he has heard horror stories from other coaches about oversight that happened as a result of the coach being kept out of the loop.
“That stuff happens at almost every facility you go to that’s new,” he said. “Something got overlooked because the coach wasn’t involved with the meetings, or wasn’t even allowed to be involved.”
The athletics department is also hoping that the new facility will boost recruiting, as prospective athletes will be able to see a modern track at Fredonia for the first time in years.
“I’ve got to give credit to [Wilson], his assistant coach Nick Abdo and our throwers coach, Lauren Kluck,” said Gondek. “I can’t even imagine what it’s like to recruit for a program that doesn’t actually have a functional track.”
Wilson also noted the added challenge of recruiting with facilities that aren’t able to be used.
“It’s getting harder to recruit without any tools in the toolbox to say, ‘Hey, on top of the education, coaching and culture that we have here, here’s our facilities that help you become that person we claim that we can make you be,’” said Wilson.
Because the Blue Devils have been unable to host meets, they have to travel every weekend for meets, and that cost adds up over the course of a full season.
“It is expensive,” Wilson said of his team’s constant travel. “It’ll help our budget to be able to stay home.”
Gondek said he thinks the facility will be beneficial not only for the track and field teams, but for all of Fredonia athletics as well. “I think it just adds to our facilities here,” he said. “I think it’s going to help the overall look of campus, and particularly the athletic facilities.”
Outside of the varsity teams, the track will also be available for student use.
Club and intramural teams will use the space, but Gondek said that non-athletic clubs and student groups will also be able to use it. “Our clubs and student groups are always looking for space, and this will give us an outdoor space when the weather’s good,” he said.
Gondek also noted that because of the lights, any activities will be able to go longer into the night.
“That helps to give us more space and more time for students and student groups to use it,” he said.
In addition to Fredonia athletes and students, the track may be used for some local high school events.
In years past, Fredonia hosted the Section VI Indoor Track and Field Championships. That hasn’t happened in several years, but the hope is that upon completion of the new outdoor track and turf field, the school might be able to host outdoor championships.
“I would like to think that we’d be hosting events from local high schools as well,” said Gondek.
Wilson said he plans to host a summer series with local high school athletes, where they would compete once a week in a variety of events that would rotate as the summer progresses.
Entering the event would come with a cost, generating more revenue for the program.
As far as community access is concerned, Wilson said this new facility will not have open, unlocked access like the former track did.
Currently, construction seems to be progressing smoothly, and Kessler said the contractors feel they are ahead of schedule.
Gondek has also monitored construction, and he noted that the facility’s water drainage system is being installed.
“I think everybody’s pretty excited to see some progress,” he said. “We’re just hoping that, as with any project, it stays on schedule so that our students and athletes can use the facility as soon as possible.”
Wilson also expressed his excitement about the site’s construction.
“I’m really happy for not only just our program, but [also] the athletics department,” he said. “Once it all starts to take shape, people will see how nice it’s going to be.”
With the addition of a brand new home, a new era of Blue Devils track and field will soon be under way.