MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's College Athletics continues to improve and invest in its student-athletes, and today's official announcement of the completion of the Sports Performance Center shows just that.
 
Part of the second phase of the Student Athlete Performance Complex, the new sports performance center boasts close to 7,000 square feet of work out space between its indoor and outdoor capacity. 
 
Saint Mary's held a blessing on Tuesday afternoon led by athletics chaplain Brother Chris Brady, FSC, '75 to launch the opening of the facility. Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Matoso spoke about the generous support from all levels at the event and thanked everyone involved through the process.
 
"We cannot thank our donors enough for their many gifts that led to this sports performance center," Matoso said. "This facility is a key component for us in taking this athletic program to the next level."
 
The new weight room, named for donors JoAnne and Nicholas G. Moore '63, includes state-of-the-art Samson equipment, including 20 work-stations, 10 benches, nearly 10,000 kilograms of Olympic caliber Gaels branded plates.  The building also includes a 30-meter turf runway, plyometric boxes, sleds, and medicine balls. 
 
The center also features central heating and cooling, two restrooms, six flat screen televisions and rolling glass garage doors to allow open air flow. Just outside the rollup doors, a large turf area will allow Gaels to complete other exercises and stretches.
 
The sports performance center is adjacent to the athletic training room and just down the hallway from the academic service offices and study hall lounge, putting all of the student-athlete services in one direct line. 
 
Quotes about the project:
 
"I believe this shows the real commitment on the part of Saint Mary's to achieve athletic excellence and being competitive at all levels, and that starts in the sports performance center." – Nicholas Moore '63
 
"I think  everybody in our athletic department is really pleased with how it turned out. Mike Matoso did a great job on getting this thing just right, because it's going to last us a lot of years." - Randy Bennett, Head Men's Basketball Coach
 
"Our new state-of-the-art Sports Performance Center will help us build resilient, confident student-athlete leaders in a positive and inspiring training environment. The atmosphere will be special and we'll have more tools than ever before to develop champions." – Max Bayer, Assistant AD for Sports Performance
 
"We are fortunate that our administration has made this a top priority for the student-athletes to help them reach and fulfill their potential in the weight room. This is a perfect space and great resources." – Theresa Romagnolo, Head Women's Soccer Coach.
 
"I think that the energy here is really good right now. Brining this aspect in is just going to help benefit the school and we're definitely going in the right direction." Taycee Wedin, Junior Women's Basketball Student-Athlete

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