Release courtesy of Brad Monastiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations and Event Management, Hillsdale College
HILLSDALE, Mich. -
When she was a student at Hillsdale College in the 1990s, Margot
Biermann embodied many of the qualities that come to mind when
thinking of the quintessential Hillsdale College student. A tender
spirit. A dedicated learner. An enthusiastic and relentless
distance runner. However, the path she took to the College was most
unusual, since she was 44 years old when she walked into her first
classroom as a freshman. She graduated summa cum laude in 1993 with
a degree in elementary education and went on to teach in the
Detroit area.
Sadly, the world was robbed of Mrs. Biermann’s talents far
too early, when she passed away in October 2010. But her spirit and
passion will live on within the newest building on Hillsdale
College’s campus.
On May 11, 2012, the College held a groundbreaking ceremony for
the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center, signaling the start of an
exciting new chapter in the history of Hillsdale College athletics.
The new building’s primary purpose will be to house the
Charger men’s and women’s track teams as well as its
women’s tennis team. The 76,000-square-foot facility will be
located just to the west of the Simpson Baseball Field. A January
2013 opening is planned for the new facility.
“This building will provide space for two types of
activities: first, large campus and community gatherings that
attract very large crowds, like Commencement, Convocation,
concerts, and when the College hosts noteworthy speakers, and the
second type of activity will be its most typical use, physical
activities,” said Hillsdale College athletic director Don
Brubacher. “It will also, though, provide quality space to
every member of the Hillsdale College community. It will see an
immense variety of activities, particularly during the long, cold,
Michigan winters.”
A six-lane oval/nine-lane straightaway indoor track will surround
the facility, with four tennis courts covering the interior. This
track will meet all standards currently in place to host an NCAA
championship-level event. A large mezzanine will be constructed at
the south end of the building, enabling plenty of room for
spectator seating.
Coaches’ offices, an athletic training room and hundreds of
square feet of storage area will also be included in the Biermann
Center. The storage will be particularly beneficial to the track
program, whose members have had to conduct practices in a crowded
gym with three to four other teams simultaneously for many
years.
Women’s track and cross country coach Andrew Towne said the
new facility will help Hillsdale stay atop any list of preferred
locations for elite-level runners to compete throughout the
year.
“It is a bold symbol of the College’s continuing
commitment to our student-athletes,” Towne said. “The
track is undeniably unique in its design, especially in terms of
its width. From the beginning, every effort was made to maximize
the width of the track, because of how the width of a track
positively affects the ‘speed’ of a track. The track
oval features the NCAA’s widest-allowable inside radius (21
meters) and the NCAA’s widest-allowable lanes (48 inches). It
is precisely this wide design that should allow the Biermann Center
to quickly become a competitive destination for elite
athletes.”
In the Fall of 2011, Hillsdale College resurrected the varsity
women’s tennis program. The timing of that program’s
renewal ties in nicely with the opening of the new building, which
will stand alone as one of the finest tennis facilities in this
entire region. Women’s tennis coach Nikki Dzubay cited the
benefits of year-round training this building will yield her
players as one of its primary benefits.
“With the re-building of a new tennis program, the start of
this track/tennis center could not have come at a better
time,” Dzubay said. “As a team, we are beyond grateful
for this new space and the work that all have done into planning
this facility. As a coach, I know this facility will help further
improve our tennis training year round, and I am confident we will
be making great strides toward becoming a strongly competitive
team.”
Plans are also in place for Jesse Philips Arena to receive a
significant facelift as part of the new athletic building project.
The basketball/volleyball court will be flipped 90 degrees from its
current north/south orientation to an east/west alignment.
Wood-floor practice courts will be installed on each of the main
playing courts, which greatly expands practice room for the
Hillsdale College volleyball and basketball teams. Brand-new locker
rooms and a video conference/media room will also be highlights of
the renovation.
“Eventually, our goal is to enable all of our varsity teams
to practice from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every day, without
variance,” Brubacher said. “Creating a more stable
practice schedule will enable our student-athletes not only to work
more efficiently in their sport, but will also create a better
structure to spend time on homework and studying.” Arena
renovation is tentatively scheduled to begin after the completion
of the 2012-13 men’s and women’s basketball seasons,
and is hoped to be finished in time for the 2013 volleyball
season.
Biermann is the deceased wife of the building’s primary
donor, Frank J. Biermann. During her life, Margot Biermann was a
competitive distance runner, completing 26 marathons in cities such
as Detroit, New York and Boston, and as far away as New Zealand.
She was born in the Netherlands and met Frank while he was
traveling in Europe following completion of graduate school. Frank
and Margot were married for 38 years. Before her passing, Margot
expressed her wish to share her family’s good fortune with
the place that played such an integral role in her life. Frank says
Hillsdale College compelled Margot to strive for excellence in
academics and in life. His hope is that this new building will
facilitate similar qualities in Hillsdale College students of this
and future generations.