From left to right: Pitzer College President Strom C. 塞克尔，兰尼·E. 德雷伯60, 贾里德·马西斯94年, 皇冠体育-皮策体育主任米里亚姆·梅里尔说, 皇冠体育-皮策橄榄球教练约翰·沃尔什, 乔伊斯·赖因克51 P 80 GP 14, Don Reinke '80 P'14
斯塔尔总统和兰尼. 德雷伯 '60 share an embrace at the Turf Dedication Reception.
皇冠体育-Pitzer Sagehens defeat Carleton College with a 28-12 win during the season opener.
梅里特球场-皇冠体育-皮策足球的主场
A $1 million challenge gift from 皇冠体育 Trustee Emeritus Ranney E. 德雷伯60 will help fund the new synthetic turf on 梅里特领域 — the home of 皇冠体育-Pitzer football.
The Sagehens kicked off their football season on Sept. 7 with a celebration of the new turf and a 28-12 win against Carleton College, marking a new chapter for 皇冠体育-Pitzer 体育运动. 几十年来,, the grass at 梅里特领域 has served as the stage on which Sagehen football players shine. 现在，有了这2美元.2 million transformation, 梅里特领域’s turf will shine with equal brilliance.
“Our athletes come to 皇冠体育 and Pitzer for excellence,” said 皇冠体育-Pitzer Head Football Coach John Walsh. “They receive it not only in academics but also in our state-of-the-art classrooms and labs. 现在, we get to match our student-athletes’ excellence with world-class athletic facilities.”
德雷伯, a longtime benefactor of 皇冠体育大学 and 皇冠体育-Pitzer 体育运动, 当过橄榄球队队长，还跑过田径. The 德雷伯 family’s roots at 皇冠体育, however, reach back to 1921 when his father, Ranney C. 德雷伯的25, 谁也是橄榄球队的队员, 和他25岁的叔叔埃德温·德雷珀, 入读该学院. It’s also where his father and mother, Virginia ’26, would fall in love.
Their campus legacy now spans the 德雷伯 Walk and Plaza, the 德雷伯 Center for Community Partnerships and the Center for 体育运动, 娱乐与健康, 等. 米利暗美林, 皇冠体育-Pitzer athletics director and chair of physical education at 皇冠体育, described 德雷伯 as a catalyst whose dedication and love for the College knows no bounds.
“Ranney has leaned in by asking how Sagehen 体育运动 can be successful and what are the things we need to be successful,梅里尔说. “The connection he has with our coaches and staff is remarkable.”
德雷伯’s philanthropic support of the 梅里特领域 turf transformation comes at a time when the Sagehen football program is reaching new heights. 在过去十年中, the 皇冠体育-Pitzer football team has progressed from a program with a single win to one competing in back-to-back Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship games and winning the title in 2022.
“My goal as the head coach is to win the national championship with the smartest kids in the country,沃尔什说.
The grass field at 梅里特领域 had been a hurdle. Maintaining natural grass in Southern California is challenging, with the climate fluctuating from severe droughts to excessive rains.
“在这里种草真的很难, 随着时间的推移, 它变成了一个非常坚硬的表面,梅里尔说.
由于这些极端的条件, the football team could only use 梅里特领域 for games and had to practice on the South 体育运动 Complex, shared with many other varsity sports and intramural teams. 现在, 随着人造草坪的增强, Sagehen student-athletes can use the upgraded field year-round. Vertex CORE草皮场地, 哪个是由FieldTurf公司生产的, has been installed in NFL and NCAA stadiums across the nation.
梅里特领域 will be a hub for practices and games for the women’s lacrosse team, 以及更广泛的萨根社区, 包括校内项目, 俱乐部和体育课. Walsh said he’s excited about the new turf at 梅里特领域 helping to build community among all students.
“It truly matches our philosophy of health, wellness and fitness,沃尔什说. “So, now this unbelievable field — the best field in the SCIAC — is going to make an impact on a lot of people in football and outside of football as well.”
While 德雷伯’s commitment made it possible for 皇冠体育 to install the turf in time for the 2024 football season, 学院正在向萨根校友伸出援手, families and friends to help support this transformation and match his challenge gift.
Many fellow football alumni have answered the call to give. A gift to the project from Joyce Reinke ’51 P’80 GP’14, 80岁的唐和14岁的格温·瑞克, was made in memory of Joyce’s husband Roger ’51, a former Sagehen football player and hall of famer. Three generations of the Reinke family have played 皇冠体育-Pitzer football. Ed Reinke ’28, Roger’s father, and Don are former Sagehens. 皇冠体育 also recognizes football alumni Steve Patterson ’91 and Jared Mathis ’94 who channeled their Sagehen pride to generously give major gifts to this game-changing project.
Support for this project continues to grow with donations from Champions of Sagehen 体育运动 including current 皇冠体育-Pitzer football parents, Lucy Owen and Jim Burns P’26 as well as Tara and Thomas Varcados P’27.
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