While the grand opening celebration of the Jane and David Ott Center for Track and Field — Penn’s newest set of athletics facilities — is set for Nov. 16 at 5 p.m., the general public will have to wait a few days longer.
Penn Athletics announced on Oct. 14 that the official opening of the 73,000-square-foot facility to the general public is slated for Dec. 6.
This date comes after Penn alumni and friends of the track and field and cross country programs were invited to a grand opening ceremony held 20 days earlier in return for a donation. Currently, 150 attendees are registered to be there for the event.
Initially announced in October 2019, the project faced a number of construction delays that postponed breaking ground at the site until 2022. Two years later, the $69.35 million project has finally come to a conclusion. Located on River Fields Drive, which is south of Penn Park and adjacent to the Schuylkill River, the facility will be the new home for the track and field team in the winter. The center is named in honor of Jane and David Ott, who met during their time as members of the Penn track and field team, graduating in 1987 and 1985, respectively.
The facility is the first of its kind in Philadelphia, containing an eight-lane infield for sprints, two pole vault runways, two long jump and triple jump runways, and a throwing area for the shot put and weight throw. The highlight? A state-of-the-art banked 200-meter track designed to optimize conditions for running events.
With seating capacity for over 1,000 spectators, the Ott Center is intended to host not only college events such as the Ivy League Heptagonal Indoor Track and Field Championships but also high school competitions moving forward.
“The track is unique for people that they can actually sit the whole time — they don’t have to stand around to watch the different field events and so forth,” Director of the Penn Relays Steve Dolan said. “So, it’s a great building for us. We’re going to host some great events. And we’re working with some of the local leaders of high school track and field to try to organize events to get the community involved.”
In its inaugural year, the Ott Center is already set to hold a multitude of events. Among the 43 events the center plans on playing host to, the one to keep an eye on will be the first-ever Penn Relays Winter Showcase presented by Toyota on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2025.
This will be the newest addition to Penn’s long history as the host for the Penn Relay Carnival, which has typically taken place in late April each year since 1895. The Penn Relays are already considered the largest track and field competition in the nation, and the Ott Center’s opening will further solidify Penn’s importance within the track and field world.
“We're excited about what our university and the city of Philadelphia is doing to lead the pack in the track and field world,” Dolan said. “It’s going to be super exciting. It’ll be great for our campus community and great for the sport.”
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