{"id":111614,"date":"2026-10-23T13:34:35","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T13:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=111614"},"modified":"2026-10-23T14:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T14:48:13","slug":"uri-opens-new-world-class-outdoor-track-and-field-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2026\/10\/uri-opens-new-world-class-outdoor-track-and-field-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"URI opens new world-class outdoor track and field facility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Oct. 23, 2026 \u2013 The University of Rhode Island\u2019s championship-winning track and field programs now have a new home on the Kingston Campus. The University celebrated the new facility\u2014which features an Olympic-caliber design\u2014with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese are championship-caliber student-athletes who deserve championship-caliber facilities,\u201d said URI President Marc Parlange. \u201cRecognizing the moment as more than a facility opening, Parlange said, \u201cThis is about giving our student-athletes the resources they need to compete at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Laurie
Laurie Feit-Melnick, who\u2019s been the women\u2019s track and field head coach since 1992, is looking forward to URI hosting a collegiate outdoor track and field meet for the first time in 32 years. (URI photo\/Michael Salerno)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A large audience of URI students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters, local and state elected leaders, and members of the Board of Trustees joined in the celebration, which marked a major milestone in a series of $65.8 million upgrades<\/a> to athletic facilities at URI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

URI men\u2019s track and field<\/a> head coach Trent Baltzell highlighted the exceptional quality of the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat you see in front of you is beyond what we coaches were imagining during the initial design process,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom a functionality and meet management perspective, this track and field facility has no equal in this region of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Rhody,
The audience cheered on Rhody, URI\u2019s mascot, who concluded the celebration of the opening of the new outdoor track and field complex by breaking through the tape at the finish line. (URI photo\/Catherine Scott)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The complex features a nine-lane track, multiple jump runways, including two long\/triple jump runways with four sand pits, two pole vault runways with four pole vault boxes, and two high jump areas. Adjacent to the track is a separate facility for hammer, javelin, shot put, and discus throwing.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Trent
URI men\u2019s track and field head coach Trent Baltzell explained why the new track and field complex is considered a world-class facility that has no equal in this region of the country. (URI photo\/Michael Salerno) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The facility also includes an aluminum bleacher grandstand and a press box with an accessible lift. The complex also includes a new digital display scoreboard, a dedicated track storage facility, a restroom building that will be shared with the soccer facility, and a new lands and grounds support building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facility is in a traditionally windy part of the URI campus. And while one might think that would be less than ideal for sports in which winning times and measurements are determined by the smallest of margins, Baltzell explained why the wind will be an advantage, not a disadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe track is oriented in a south to north fashion, which coincides with the primary wind direction,\u201d he said. \u201cAthletes are going to move faster when having a wind at their backs. Sprinters, hurdlers, pole vaulters, long jumpers, and triple jumpers are going to love competing at URI. And, if the wind happens to be heading south, like it is today, that\u2019s no problem\u2014we can turn all events around in the opposite direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"track
URI\u2019s new track and field facility has an Olympic-caliber design. The track has nine 48-inch-wide lanes. A separate throwing facility for hammer, javelin, shot put, and discuss events is seen here on the right. (URI photo\/Ashton Robertson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Among those who are excited about the new facility was Laurie Feit-Melnick, who\u2019s been the women\u2019s track and field<\/a> head coach since 1992. Feit-Melnick succeeded Lauren Anderson, URI\u2019s first women\u2019s track coach, who was also present for the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not just a tremendous addition for our current and future athletes, but for the entire athletic department, the URI community and the state of Rhode Island,\u201d said Feit-Melnick. \u201cThis will be the first of many events we host. We look forward to hosting the Atlantic 10 Conference outdoor championships, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League high school state meet, and the Rhode Island Special Olympics, in addition to camps and clinics at this phenomenal facility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 3, 2027, URI will host an outdoor track and field meet for the first time in 32 years. The Rams will welcome teams from other Rhode Island colleges and universities to Kingston for the Ocean State Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lily Saul and Adam Melnick, two fifth-year student-athletes, represented URI\u2019s championship women\u2019s and men\u2019s track and field teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis facility will have an incredible impact on the future of URI track and field,\u201d said Saul, who is from Montoursville, Pennsylvania. \u201cIt will help us continue to develop as athletes, compete at a higher level, and attract talented student-athletes who want to be part of a program that is investing in its future. I am excited to see the records that will be broken, the accomplishments that will be celebrated, and the memories that future generations of Rams will make here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having grown up in nearby Narragansett, Melnick expressed how much the new facility will mean to track and field athletes in Rhode Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo have a world-class facility right here in our own backyard is a tremendous opportunity for athletes of all ages,\u201d said Melnick. \u201cThis is something I would have loved to have as a young athlete.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Representing the URI Board of Trustees, Matt Lenz thanked elected leaders and donors for their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe University has incredible momentum, and with the continued support of our state leaders and donors, we will continue to unlock the full potential of URI,\u201d said Lenz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parlange also expressed the University\u2019s appreciation for the efforts of state elected leaders. \u201cThis project was made possible because of the vision and support of so many,\u201d he said, \u201cincluding our state leaders, Governor McKee; Speaker Blazejewski; Senate President Lawson; our South County delegation-Senators Sosnowski and DiMario, and Representatives Fogarty, McEntee, and Tanzi; and former Speaker Shekarchi and the late Senate President Ruggerio.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State Representative Kathy Fogarty commented on URI\u2019s positive momentum and continued improvement to campus facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin the last few months, we held an underwater ribbon cutting<\/a> ceremony as part of the multi-phase renovation of the Narragansett Bay Campus, a ribbon cutting for the new fine arts building<\/a>, and the track and field facility,\u201d said Fogarty. \u201cThese improvements strengthen the university by attracting talented scholars and athletes to a campus that’s already one of the most beautiful in New England.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe take great pride in Rams athletics, and we want all students to have access to world-class facilities, whether they are competing at the highest levels, pursuing personal fitness, or anything in between,\u201d said Senator Sue Sosnowski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice President and Director of Athletics Pat Lyons thanked everyone involved in the fundraising, planning, and construction of the new facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe look forward to showing off this outstanding facility every chance that we get,\u201d said Lyons. \u201cThis facility is truly what makes the state of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island so special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lyons, Parlange, and others also thanked Peter ’97 and Jocelyn ’00, M.S.’22 Sherman for their donation. As student-athletes at URI, Peter threw the hammer and Jocelyn threw the javelin. Their gift, made in memory of their friend and teammate Stephen DeMinico ’98, will go toward naming the hammer and javelin area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ceremony concluded with the crowd cheering on the URI mascot, Rhody, who broke through the ribbon in slow motion to the theme song from the movie \u201cChariots of Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Oct. 23, 2026 \u2013 The University of Rhode Island\u2019s championship-winning track and field programs now have a new home on the Kingston Campus. The University celebrated the new facility\u2014which features an Olympic-caliber design\u2014with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 21. \u201cThese are championship-caliber student-athletes who deserve championship-caliber facilities,\u201d said URI President Marc […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":111616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1859,2],"tags":[1917,1911,1913,1912],"class_list":["post-111614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-news","category-archives","tag-athletics","tag-campus-improvement","tag-public-engagement","tag-special-events"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111614"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111622,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111614\/revisions\/111622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}