USU invests in Athletics’ future

Nathan Dunn

Seven years ago, Utah State University announced that Romney Stadium would be renamed Maverik Stadium. Now, the most recent change for the stadium is a new turf surface for Merlin Olsen Field.

The new turf features a similar design to the last iteration. The field features a block U-State logo at the 50-yard line, green synthetic grass and a navy outline on the white numbers and text around both endzones. The most notable changes are the darker shade of navy used and the design of the north endzone. It no longer features the classic “Aggies” wording with bulls on either side. Both end zones now say “Utah State.”

John Hartwell, Utah State’s athletics director, said the simplification was intentional. when you first see it. The dark blue, green, (white) lines, it really does just look awesome,” said Kyle Cefalo, the Aggies’ wide receivers coach. “They did a phenomenal job on it.”

There has been a large debate in football about the use of artificial turf versus grass playing fields. The National Football League Players Association released a study that said “players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on an artificial turf.” The study also found a “32% increase of non-contact knee injuries and a 69% higher rate of non-contact foot and ankle injuries on turf.”

The Aggies analyzed the risks, but Cefalo and Hartwell said the turf companies explained the benefits to them.

“I know there’s a lot of studies behind it, but the turf companies communicate with coaches and the athletes,” Cefalo said. “It’s supposed to be more forgiving on the athletes’ legs.”

“With a lot of research and development with the turf companies, every new iteration they come out with is a little more soft and has more give to it. When you replace it, it’s always going to be better,” Hartwell said.

“To make it look a little bit cleaner, we looked at several iterations of designs,” Hartwell said. “We had some graphics that looked the exact same as the previous turf, but this new one was just a little bit more crisp and concise. It reflected our brand and our image better, keeping it simple.”

While fans may notice the new look of the turf, it’s the new feel that caught the attention of the players.

“I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the last turf, but when I got on this new turf — man, you can feel a difference,” senior running back Calvin Tyler Jr. said with a laugh. “It’s softer, and it doesn’t catch as easily as the older one. We will — hopefully — witness less injuries because it doesn’t catch as easily. It feels like grass, but it’s turf.” The coaches love the new turf just as much as their players. The previous turf was used for 10 years, which is near the full life expectancy of an artificial field.

After winning a championship, being rewarded with new facilities and a new field can help with recruiting, which is essential to success in college football.

Cefalo said the recent success of the team is not surprising, and you should be expecting more of it.

“Utah State has always had success. It’s proven you can have success here,” Cefalo said. “We can build off it, but we have a brand new team this year. You appreciate the past, but you have to be willing to treat every year as its own. We are really excited about where we are at.”

Merlin Olsen Field is not the only place to get a makeover, however. Utah State is planning a new, state-of-the-art, full-length indoor practice facility.

Hartwell announced in late April that Tom and Patty Willis donated $1 million to the athletics department to build the new facility. Utah State released design concepts and announced that the project will cost $30 million.

“We’re still in the final planning phase of the new facility; few tweaks and fundraising for it. But recruiting means so much — not just to the Mountain West Conference, also the entire country — but specifically to the Mountain West,” Hartwell said.

The nearly 110,000 square-foot facility will be located directly next to the existing Stan Laub Indoor Training Center.

Hartwell mentioned that other programs in the conference have added new facilities to their campuses. Last year’s Mountain West Conference runner-up, San Diego State, will move into their new stadium this coming season. Colorado State opened its new stadium in 2017, and Wyoming welcomed a new training facility three years ago.

But the new complex is not just about keeping up with the Joneses. The facility will bolster not only the football team but also the women’s soccer, The complex will improve on the current 80-yard indoor field that only has one endzone by adding a full-size football field. The field will have run-off space for athletes to slow down, which the current building lacks.

Additionally, the complex will have indoor training facilities for golf, such as simulators and a putting green, which will allow the golf team to prepare for their season in spite of Logan’s winter weather. The larger footprint of the building will also allow for a full-size soccer field, locker rooms and offices for the soccer program.

One of the biggest benefits of the new facility will be scheduling, which is a challenge for the many teams that use the current training center.

“The current facility stays booked from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., six days a week,” Hartwell said.

Creating a safe and exciting venue for the athletes was at the top of Hartwell’s priority list, and the design plans for the new facility seem to achieve that.

Continuing support for student-athletes through facility updates will make sure Utah State’s programs are in a position to compete every year. However, Tyler thinks there is an advantage bigger than the new updates.

“It will play a little bit to an advantage, but the real advantage is playing in Logan,” Tyler said. “Especially when you’ve got the HURD and all the fans. I like this atmosphere out here, I love it.”