Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony set
for George M. Smart Athletic Center

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College will celebrate the much-anticipated completion of the new George M. Smart Athletic Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Feb. 24. The event will be held from 5-7 p.m. inside the Athletic Center located on Webster Street.

The Athletic Center will serve as the recreation hub of the DC campus, while offering an exceptional indoor training environment for each of the 22 Yellow Jacket varsity athletic programs.

The 84,411-square-foot Athletic Center is 40 feet high at the center of the indoor peak and includes a regulation 200 meter, six-lane indoor track with an eight-lane straightaway and a multipurpose floor inside the track that will accommodate tennis, volleyball and basketball courts. The track area will also handle field events for pole vault, long jump, high jump, and shot put.

The facility also includes an athletic training room, weight room, locker area, offices, and the relocated Fitness Center which will continue to be a dual partnership with the Defiance Area YMCA.

The Athletic Center was named after DC alumnus George M. Smart, who serves as vice-chair of the College’s Board of Trustees and is the chair of The Transforming Difference capital campaign. Smart is also chairman of the Board of Directors of FirstEnergy.

Additionally, the track was named the Richard M. and Carolyn M. Small Track; the fitness center was named the Randall L. and Marilyn A. Buchman Fitness Center; and the athletic training room was named the Duane C. Hocking Athletic Training Room. These individuals were instrumental in raising funds for the facility and in mentoring, teaching and coaching generations of DC students.

Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony is open to the public. In addition to remarks from participating dignitaries, the ceremony will include a performance by the DC pep band.

Defiance College, chartered in 1850, is an independent, liberal arts institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational experience of service and engagement. The college website is www.defiance.edu.

February 24, 2012