Welcome to Bear Mountain

By Stacey Walters

The University of Pikeville agreed to purchase 220 acres of land, now known as Bear Mountain, with plans of housing all outdoor athletic facilities, including football, soccer, tennis, cross country, track and field, archery, softball and baseball. In addition to the athletic programs, the space will offer the community a playground, room for tailgating, walking and biking trails, and an alumni center.

“With more than 500 student-athletes across campus that call UPIKE home, this project will benefit more than half of our undergraduate student population,” said President Burton J. Webb, Ph.D. “Bear Mountain is located only a mile and a half from campus, making it easily accessible for students, coaches and the community.”

Athletic Director Kelly Wells believes that UPIKE coaches build programs that provide the best experience possible for studentathletes. Having modern, elite facilities is an essential part of that process.

“This has the potential to be one of the most transformational and impactful opportunities UPIKE Athletics has ever envisioned. These projects will continue to give UPIKE student-athletes the tools to grow as leaders, teammates and competitors,” said Wells. “Our coaches, students, administrators, fans and stakeholders are extremely humbled and grateful to all involved in helping to make this once-ina-lifetime opportunity come to life.”

UPIKE Sportsplex

On Friday, October 7, UPIKE athletics and administration, joined by officials from the City of Coal Run and the City of Pikeville, held a ribbon cutting for its newest facility, the UPIKE SportsPlex. The building in Coal Run was leased by the university last year and has been renovated with amenities for UPIKE’s bowling, golf, wrestling and archery programs.

Formerly occupied by Big Lots, the SportsPlex now features four distinct areas dedicated to the development and training of UPIKE programs. A 10-lane bowling center with an advanced scoring and metrics system, a golf area featuring a simulator, wrestling mats, strength training equipment and an archery shooting range fill the large building. The area also provides programs such as dance with valuable space for practice. The SportsPlex offers state-of-the-art equipment and cutting-edge technology to student-athletes in a personalized environment. It will also serve as a powerful recruitment tool to draw the best of the best to the mountains.

“You can’t find that anywhere. It’s close to campus, and the parking is great here. It’s a safe place for them to come and a very uplifting thing for the student-athletes,” said Athletic Director Kelly Wells. “When student-athletes come to any of these facilities, they can’t help but be really excited and enamored about what we have, and very few schools have the luxuries that we have, especially at our level and beyond.”

Wells also added that the partnerships between the university and the cities of Pikeville and Coal Run are necessary to provide more opportunities for current and prospective students. This new facility makes the teams that call it home even more competitive, allowing them to practice, prepare and gain an edge over their opponents.