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UPMC Susquehanna Partners with Lycoming College to Support Athletics Facilities

UPMC Susquehanna Partners with Lycoming College to Support Athletics Facilities

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With a history of more than 50 years as a linchpin of Williamsport’s East End sports scene, the all-purpose artificial turf field on the Western edge of the Shangraw Athletic Complex will for the first time carry its own name, as Lycoming College announced that UPMC Susquehanna has secured the naming rights of the field for the next 10 years.

As an All-American Corporate Partner of the College, UPMC Susquehanna secures the naming rights for UPMC Field at the Shangraw Athletic Complex.

With the gift, UPMC Susquehanna has partnered with Lycoming College to enhance the all-purpose field, as the College's goal will be to make it a premier facility in the Middle Atlantic Conference and help the teams that use the field to compete nationally. UPMC Susquehanna’s gift will help enhance Lycoming’s commitment to excellence in education and athletics.

"Lycoming College is grateful for the commitment that UPMC Susquehanna has made to support improvements to the soccer/lacrosse field, and we are delighted to recognize their support by naming this field UPMC Field," said Kent C. Trachte, Ph.D., president of Lycoming College. "Lycoming has a rich history of collaboration with UPMC Susquehanna that includes many alumni who are health care professionals with UPMC Susquehanna and the 25 years of care that Dr. Patrick Carey has provided to our student-athletes."

Lycoming's vision for the lacrosse/soccer facility project includes elements to improve player safety, strengthen the College's ability to host conference championships, NCAA postseason events, camps and clinics, and community activities, as well as create a first-rate viewing experience for alumni, fans, and recruits.

UPMC Susquehanna's commitment, along with additional financial support, will be used to construct a new seating area, upgrade the press and media facility, install a new scoreboard, and provide additional facility enhancements. During the summer of 2018, the project began with the replacement of the original turf surface and the widening of the field by seven yards to make it a recommended playing size for NCAA soccer and an ideal host site for NCAA post-season events.

"Partnerships like this help our organizations create communities that appeal to future generations," said Steven Johnson, president, UPMC Susquehanna. "Access to quality health care and education are two pillars to creating vibrant communities. Lycoming College draws in students from across the U.S. and those students become an important part of our community while they are in school, but it's up to community partners, like UPMC Susquehanna, to help make our communities a place they chose to stay after graduation."

Purchased by the College in 1958 as part of an eight-acre parcel of land from the Scottish Rite, the soccer field officially opened for use three years later, giving the team a permanent home field, although it went unnamed. When the football field underwent renovations in 1998, the whole athletics complex between Union Avenue and Lincoln Avenue became known as the Shangraw Athletic Complex. In 2004, the soccer and lacrosse field became the first on-campus to transition to field turf.

Since the installation of the turf, the field has hosted 12 conference tournament games and hosted two NCAA Men’s Soccer Regionals. Combined, the men's and women's soccer and men's and women's lacrosse teams have posted 29 winning seasons at the field.

UPMC Field is Lycoming’s most heavily used athletic field. With approximately 40 home athletic competitions per year, the complex draws an audience of more than 15,000 spectators annually. The Lycoming College women's soccer team will be the first to take the turf at UPMC Field at the Shangraw Athletic Complex, facing Susquehanna University on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m.

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