GETTYSBURG, Pa. – After calling the College Union Building Pool home for the last 50 years, the Gettysburg College men's and women's swimming teams will kick off a new era this Saturday when they compete in the first meet inside their brand-new, state-of-the-art natatorium located in the Center for Athletics, Recreation, and Fitness.
The Bullets will host Washington & Lee University in a non-conference meet beginning at 2 p.m. Both of Gettysburg's teams enter the meet undefeated, with the men holding a 4-0 (3-0 Centennial Conference) record and the women sporting a 5-0 (4-0 CC) mark.
The new natatorium will give the swimming teams one of the most impressive facilities in the Centennial Conference and Division III. The eight-lane, 25-yard competition pool features a movable bulkhead along with a five-lane warm-up area, a substantial improvement over the team's six-lane, 25-yard CUB Pool. The expansive venue will offer a better experience for fans as well, with its increased lighting and 350-seat spectator gallery. In addition, the natatorium includes new locker rooms and new offices for Gettysburg's swimming coaches. Other amenities will include a scoreboard with an eight-lane readout and increased deck space for land training.
The pool will also be available for recreational use by college students, faculty, and staff.
The Center of Athletics, Recreation, and Fitness is a 55,000 square-foot facility that partially opened this past October with completion of Phase Two of construction. Phase Two included a 10,000-square-foot weight and fitness room, a bouldering wall, multipurpose spaces for aerobics, yoga, Pilates, spinning and martial arts classes, and a large lobby area. Phase Three will include the natatorium and a climbing wall held inside a glass tower by the Center entrance. Phase One entailed a massive renovation of the Bream Wright Hauser facility, which sits adjacent to the Center, this past summer.
For more information on the Center, please visit http://www.gettysburg.edu/alumni/supporting_thecollege/center/.
