Thiel College investing $550,000 in stadium upgrade

Melissa Klaric, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 22—GREENVILLE — Thiel College is upgrading its stadium this summer in a $550,000 project, including $20,000 from Mercer County.

County commissioners awarded $20,000 for the project to improve the turf playing surface at the college's Stoeber Field. The money will come from Mercer County's Act 13 Unconventional Gas Well Fund, which comes from state fees from energy companies that drill with hydraulic fracturing in Pennsylvania.

Thiel's Department of Athletics hired FieldTurf for the stadium's renovation project, with a start date of May 1. Construction is expected to be completed by November.

"We love having members of the community on our campus, and we want to be a community resource," said Roberta Leonard, vice president for college advancement.

Thiel College officials said that Classic HD, the turf system that will be installed at Stoeber Field, is aesthetically pleasing and carefully crafted to maximize durability and safety.

"As we continue to make improvements to our athletics facilities, we are excited to partner with FieldTurf for this important project, which will provide a quality experience for our student-athletes and the college community," said Thiel College Director of Athletics Jason Fautas.

The new field surface will feature alternating light and dark green in 5-yard stripes. The end zones will be navy blue. The east end zone will display "Thiel" in old gold. The west end zone will display "Tomcats" in old gold. The surface will have permanent lines for soccer and lacrosse with an outline of light blue.

Stoeber Field at Alumni Stadium opened in 2001. The college replaced the original surface in 2012 and added lighting, installed by Qualite Sports Lighting LLC, in 2013. Stoeber Field is the home of Thiel's football, men's and women's soccer and men's and women's lacrosse teams.

Stoeber Field also serves as the playing surface for the Rissell-Schreyer Dome, a seasonal air-supported structure that is erected over the field each winter. The Rissell-Schreyer Dome allows Thiel's lacrosse teams to play games indoors and provides indoor practice space for many of the college's athletic programs, other campus groups and community walkers.

An estimated 450 of the college's student-athletes participated Thursday in deflating the dome, an annual ritual marking the arrival of spring and warmer weather that will allow athletes and the college community to participate in outdoor physical activities.

When the dome is reinflated in the fall, it will cover the new athletic surface.

"I also believe our alumni and fans will enjoy the new fresh look of the playing surface at Stoeber Field at Alumni Stadium," Fautas said.

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com