LEWISTON, Maine -- Following of one of its most successful fall sports seasons ever, Bates College will begin construction on three new outdoor athletics facilities in the spring of 2000: an outdoor track and field, a softball field and an synthetic turf field for field hockey and all-purpose practice.

"The recent success of our teams, coupled with the addition of these new facilities, will make Bates an increasingly attractive place for prospective student-athletes," said Director of Athletics Suzanne Coffey. "I envision Bates as one of the top Division III athletic programs in New England as we begin a new century." The Bates fall varsity programs finished with a collective .697 winning percentage in 1999, winning five Colby-Bates-Bowdoin and Maine championships and producing five All-Americans.

"The addition of these new facilities brings us another step closer to realizing our plans for the campus set forth by the Board of Trustees in 1992," said Bates President Donald W. Harward. "As the construction of the Residential Village and Pettengill Hall added important elements to the Bates community, so, too, will these athletic fields."

Pending selection of project architects and contractors, Bates plans to begin construction on new facilities in late spring of early summer 2000, with teams competing on their new surfaces by the following spring.

When completed, the outdoor track and field will allow Bates, perennially one of the top track and field programs in New England, to host an outdoor track event for the first time since 1976.

An eight-lane bi-radial track with a 10-lane straightaway, similar to those used in European track designs, will feature a polyurethane surface. The track design allows for a natural-grass infield large enough to include an entire soccer pitch, providing use in both the spring and fall.

The track and field will be located on the corner of Russell and Lafayette streets in an area now used primarily as a storage site.

Next to the track will be a new softball field, replacing the Russell Street Field, now home of the James Wallach '64 Tennis Complex. The softball facility will conform to NCAA regulations and include permanent, enclosed dugouts. A portable outfield fence will allow other sports to use the field space during softball's off-season.

The Bates softball team will play the 2000 season at Marcotte Field in Lewiston. Marcotte Field is located between Lewiston High School and the Central Maine Civic Center.

The final addition to the Bates outdoor athletic facilities will be a multipurpose synthetic turf field adjacent to John Bertram Hall on Campus Avenue. This site is presently home to a practice field for Bates football and men's lacrosse and the club men's and women's rugby programs.

"As a sport that can be played at a much higher quality on an artificial surface, field hockey will really benefit from the synthetic turf," said Bates head coach Wynn Hohlt.

With plans for full lighting, all Bates teams that compete outdoors will be able to use the artificial turf for practices throughout the year. Spring sports will benefit from a new field that will be available earlier in the season than natural surfaces, as well as later into the evening. The club and intramural programs, essential elements of a residential college, will benefit by being able to schedule evening events that will not conflict with varsity programs.

"This field opens up so many possibilities for the whole Bates community," said Assistant Director of Athletics Marsha Graef, who coordinates Bates' club and intramurals programs. "We will be able to expand the schedule for intramurals and club sports extensively, especially in the late fall and early spring."

Click here to see a map of the proposed facilities.