The Ott Center is set to feature a banked track, long and high jump pits, a throwing area, and roughly 1000 spectator seats (Photo courtesy of Noah Gutskey).
It’s been a long time coming, but the Jane and David Ott Center for Track and Field is finally here.
Originally announced in October 2019, after some delays, the Ott Center is set to open at the end of this summer in August. The $69.35 million state-of-the-art indoor track and field facility has been progressing on schedule since last March.
“The exterior skin of the facility has been going up as well as the windows. The interior work is also starting to go up for the bathrooms as well as the plumbing and lighting fixtures. The concrete slab has also been poured,” said Associate Athletic Director of Facilities Noah Gustkey.
The new 73,000-square-foot track and field center will be in the southeast corner of Penn’s campus between Rhodes Field and the Hollenback Center. The latter is also currently being renovated with a completion date set for August, aligning with the completion of the Ott Center and the preseason soccer camps that are held there.
The center will be a new hub for indoor practice and competition for the Penn track and field teams, featuring a banked track, long and high jump pits, a throwing area, and nearly 1,000 spectator seats. It will be especially helpful for training during winter weather and rain, as well as being a practice site for all track and field athletes under one roof, from throwers to runners to high jumpers.
“It’s a new home for Penn track and field,” coach Steve Dolan said. “We have between 110 and 120 athletes that do men’s or women’s track and field. That’s going to be amazing from a training standpoint — a place to compete and a home base for our team.”
Although the focus is on the benefits for Penn track and field, the Ott Center will be a place for the campus community as well as the greater Philadelphia community.
“Some of the local high schools and colleges will have opportunities to compete in the building, and our campus community can take advantage of [the center] as well,” Dolan said. “There will be open hours where people can use the facility. It’s going to be great for the Penn campus community and the whole Philadelphia area for track and field.”
In addition to attracting those in the area, the hope is that the center has the opportunity to host future championship meets. While Franklin Field is first-class, hosting meets such as large Masters meets, its fully outdoor facilities preclude it from hosting championship events such as the Indoor Ivy League Heptagonal championships.
Although the center will not be completed for the upcoming 2024 Penn Relays, the Ott Center will play key supporting roles for future Penn Relays.
One supporting role is as an indoor site for some field events during inclement weather. At last year’s Penn Relays, heavy and consistent rain poured on Franklin Field on the second and third days of the meet. The conditions were not dangerous enough to cancel field events, but the situation can arise — which is where the Ott Center comes into play.
“The NCAA does allow certain events to be moved inside of its inclement weather. For instance, the vertical jumps like the pole vault and the high jump, could compete indoors if we had rain and such,” Dolan said.
The Ott Center will also support Penn Relays in providing a large warm up space for track and field athletes.
“Even more than just the competition moving indoors, [the Ott Center] gives us a dry, large warm up space opportunity,” Dolan said. “[Athletes will] have another spot to organize a warm-up before coming onto Franklin Field, especially if they are competing in the rain.”
With the new Ott Center and the annual Penn Relays at the historic Franklin Field, Penn continues to be a epicenter for track and field on the East Coast — something that should excite the Penn community.
“There’s no larger and more exciting meet than Penn Relays, and when you add the Ott Center, that is very exciting,” Dolan said. “Penn and the City of Philadelphia are doing great things for the track and field world. It’s super exciting, and I think it’ll be great for our campus community and for the sport.”
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