A History of Excellence. The Promise of the Future.

The athletic tradition at Kent State stretches back more than a century — including its current stint as a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1951. The storied history includes NCAA titles, All-America accolades in competition and in the classroom and a sustained level of comprehensive excellence in the MAC.

Consistently ranked as the top conference school in the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, the Golden Flashes have also earned top honors in the Excellence in Management Cup and well as in the MAC’s Reese and Jacoby standings.

Riding this wave of success means continuing to attract the highest quality student-athletes and coaches to Kent State’s widely respected program. As we continue to grow our department’s profile regionally and nationally, it is imperative that we provide the scholarships, facilities and academic and operational support needed to reach our goals.     

With that backdrop in mind, Athletic Director Joel Nielsen made developing a strategy for long-term success a priority upon his arrival in Kent in 2010. That early facilities and scholarship master plan served as the driving force behind the current Building Champions initiative.

As with any endeavor of this all-encompassing nature, the support of the university community is vital to the success of this project, and Kent State President Lester Lefton has been a tremendous advocate since its inception. In addition, our National Athletic Development Council (NADC) has been unwavering in its backing of our strategic vision.

With the groundbreaking of the Field House Locker Room project May 3, 2013 and the subsequent unveiling of the full scope of Building Champions later that evening, we’re thrilled to be turning dreams and drawings into bricks and mortar.

With your support, we plan to continue building champions in the classroom, in competition and in life for at least another 100 years.