Prentiss construction finally en route to the finish line

Joe Bubar Guest Writer

Six stadium lights stand tall above the open space at the Prentiss Field construction site, like monuments marking a new era in Vassar athletics.

The new Prentiss Field, projected to open by the end of November or early December, will feature a turf field with an eight-lane track, a second grass field adjacent to it for soccer and lacrosse, a grass field hockey field, a baseball diamond complete with a fence and dugouts, and a practice field.

The turf field will have press boxes and will be flanked with lights, making it possible for teams to play evening home games, something unprecedented for Vassar’s outdoor sports.

“Every peer school has turf,” said Men’s Soccer Head Coach and Athletics Department representative for the project Andrew Jennings. “It’s the surface of choice for field hockey and a tremendous alternative to grass during the early spring and inclement weather.”

Spring sports such as baseball, which lacked home fields during the pre-construction period last spring, will be able to play on the new fields this year, while field hockey will again have to wait until next year to use the new facilities.

The date to break ground on Prentiss Field was originally set for Nov. 1, but was pushed back to April 19 because of Town Board concerns about the environment and local landmarks. Because of this late construction, field hockey is forced to split their home games among multiple nearby locations this fall. “It’s not good,” Jennings said of the Vassar team’s displacement.

The fields will also give “student athletes the opportunity to play on facilities that are commensurate with our peer schools,” said Jennings. This is especially true for the field hockey team, who in the past has met playing disadvantages by practicing only on grass, not turf.

The plan to build new fields began in 1994 when the soccer and lacrosse fields were not National Collegiate Athletic Association-deemed and the track was non-existent. Prentiss Field is the final part of a four-phase plan that included building the Wienberg Field Sports Pavilion and the adjacent grass soccer field. It is a plan that encompasses more than just Varsity athletics. The new fields will provide more club and intramural space and recreational use of the track.

“It’s not just for the varsity sports,” said Jennings. “It’s for the whole Vassar community.”