Lately, Bonnies followers have turned heads nationwide as they traveled throughout the nation in help of their faculty.
To Brooklyn and Washington, D.C., for the Atlantic 10 Match.
To Dayton, Ohio, and Dallas, Texas – on 48 hours’ discover – for the NCAA Match.
To packed homes in Charleston, S.C., and Madison Sq. Backyard in New York Metropolis.
Whereas the locales have modified, one factor stays the identical: the unwavering help of Bona Nation, a tremendous show of St. Bonaventure pleasure that has captured the eye of the nation on a number of events.
Now, by way of visions for “A Bolder Bonaventure,” plans are in place to assist translate that passionate following into investments that not solely profit every of St. Bonaventure’s almost 400 student-athletes, but in addition enable the Athletic Division’s 19 NCAA Division I groups to assume bolder than ever earlier than.
On Sept. 12, St. Bonaventure publicly launched the biggest fundraising marketing campaign in its historical past — “A Bolder Bonaventure: Ignite. Encourage. Make investments.” — in search of to boost $125 million by Might 31, 2025. A part of the general marketing campaign is a give attention to enhancing our athletics services.
“Each piece of the athletics pillar of the marketing campaign has our student-athletes as the main focus. Our objective is to make sure a strongly aggressive Division I expertise for them,” mentioned Bob Van Wicklin, vice chairman for College Development. “That is an formidable plan. Step one to creating it occur is the help of our alumni and pals.”
By A Bolder Bonaventure, the objective of modernizing campus to draw the scholars of immediately and likewise tomorrow has been imagined with daring ambitions. Included within the plans are a dedication to Division I athletics requiring enhancements to the athletic campus in addition to the Reilly Heart, which is over 55 years outdated, to draw high potential student-athletes with services that beat the competitors.
“Crucial side of this marketing campaign is that it’ll contact each one among our student-athletes,” St. Bonaventure Director of Athletics Joe Manhertz mentioned. “It’s not one thing that may higher one or two groups; each single Bonnies student-athlete will probably be positively impacted. The panorama of school athletics is at all times altering, and it’s an uneven taking part in area. This funding in our student-athletes and groups is an opportunity to make Bonaventure a sustainable Division I establishment and permit our groups to compete at a better stage.”
On the forefront of the marketing campaign are designs for a brand new almost 10,000-square-foot Athletics Efficiency Heart.
Up to now 5 years, Bona’s student-athlete inhabitants has elevated by greater than 100 and has tremendously outgrown the division’s present weight room. Presently, a number of groups with massive rosters are pressured to divide into smaller teams at totally different instances, creating potential educational conflicts, or use hallways or the Reilly Heart facet courts for coaching.
The brand new Athletics Efficiency Heart will embody area that’s 5 instances the dimensions of the present weight room facility, permitting area for a number of groups to coach on the similar time utilizing state-of-the-art gear. The brand new facility would have a right away impression on each Bonnies student-athlete from its first day of operation.
“A facility of this nature will rival any Energy 5 or skilled sports activities efficiency facility,” mentioned Darryn Fiske, St. Bonaventure’s longtime director of power and conditioning. “It would give our teaching staffs the flexibility to draw that next-level athlete to assist compete for convention and NCAA titles. Each student-athlete goals about competing on the ‘massive stage.’ A facility of this nature will give us the chance to take our coaching to even greater ranges than ever seen in St. Bonaventure historical past and assist all of our present and future student-athletes obtain these goals.”
The Athletics Efficiency Heart would be the centerpiece of a 25,000-square-foot addition to the Reilly Heart, together with a brand new basketball follow facility accessible to each the lads’s and girls’s basketball packages.
The follow facility will enable Bona’s continued aggressive success within the at all times difficult Atlantic 10, which continues to place itself as one of many nation’s high basketball conferences. Together with direct entry to the Athletics Efficiency Heart, the ability will home coaches’ workplaces and locker room areas adjoining to the brand new follow courtroom.
Whereas the basketball groups will transfer their locker room areas to the brand new constructing, extra Reilly Heart renovations will impression every Division I staff with devoted locker room area created for every squad. The times of groups sharing locker rooms will turn into a factor of the previous.
“On the Division I stage, each staff ought to have its personal area, one thing to name their very own,” Manhertz confused. “As we appeared on the renovation plans and put the puzzle items collectively, that was extraordinarily essential to us. Division I groups shouldn’t be sharing locker rooms, and this plan takes care of that.”
As well as, student-athlete help areas together with sports activities medication, educational help and vitamin will probably be renovated and expanded. Teaching staffs can even have their workplaces collectively, making them extra accessible to their athletes.
“We put a give attention to vitamin, the coaching room and our sports activities medication areas to ensure the student-athletes have area to remain wholesome,” Manhertz added.
Different plans for the Bolder Bonaventure Athletics Pillar embody a turf area with air-supported construction, extra generally often called a “bubble.” With a area massive sufficient to accommodate Bona’s Division I sports activities, in addition to rugby, the deliberate facility will carry Bonnies groups out of the tough Western New York winter components and permit for year-round coaching.
Additional, multi-purpose area additions will carry elevated seating and facility upgrades to the Marra Athletics Advanced. Together with a greater fan expertise, a press field and broadcast sales space will probably be constructed to permit correct setup for TV crews, which can tremendously enhance present ESPN+ broadcasts in addition to open the door for Bonnies lacrosse and soccer groups to host convention and NCAA tournaments, together with nationwide TV productions.
Over at McGraw-Jennings Subject, Fred Handler Park is ready to get a much-needed facelift as properly.
House to Bonnies baseball, renovations will carry the sphere as much as the extent of Atlantic 10 counterparts with the substitute of the turf area, the addition of spectator seating and a brand new press field.
Again within the Reilly Heart, the wealthy custom of Bonnies swimming and diving will probably be enhanced with a imaginative and prescient to renovate the Reilly Heart pool with the substitute of air flow, lighting and sound methods, new timing system and document boards and upgrades to locker rooms and coaches’ workplaces.
All in all, the plans signify a very daring imaginative and prescient, together with massive goals.
Probably the most formidable fundraising marketing campaign in St. Bonaventure’s historical past will guarantee a future that enriches the expertise of our Bonnies lengthy into the long run.
“The fervour of Bona Nation and our alumni is basically second to none. Now it’s time to attach with that and use that devotion to assist put money into our student-athletes,” Manhertz mentioned. “As we take into consideration what we do right here and why we do it, it’s about bettering the student-athlete expertise. That’s why we’re right here. A Bolder Bonaventure exhibits that we worth Division I athletics. Athletics imply a lot to the St. Bonaventure expertise and the methods it may well assist the college are actually immeasurable. These plans make sure that we can not solely proceed to compete on a regional and nationwide stage, however present extra alternatives for our student-athletes than ever earlier than.”
Manhertz will probably be a visitor on the student-run radio, WSBU 88.3 FM “The Buzz,” on Oct. 24, starting at 12:30 p.m. ET to speak about Bonnies Athletics as a pillar within the Bolder Bonaventure marketing campaign. The interview will probably be stay streamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2qsPx9xbM.
Questions could also be submitted prematurely by electronic mail to The Buzz at [email protected] or throughout this system through The Buzz’s Twitter account (@wsbu). Tag the account and use #ABolderBonaventure hashtag when posting a query.
To be taught extra concerning the athletics pillar of the Bolder Bonaventure marketing campaign, please go to GoBonnies.com/BolderBonaventure.
