NIRSA Outstanding Sports Facilities Awards Announced

CORVALLIS, OR -- The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) announced the six recipients of its 2009 Outstanding Sports Facilities (OSF) awards. The winners will be recognized at the NIRSA Annual Conference and Exposition slated for April 1-4 in Charlotte, NC.

The 2009 OSF winners are: Colorado School of Mines Student Recreation Center; Springfield (MA) College Wellness Center; Stephen F. Austin State University Student Recreation Center; The University of Texas-Pan American Recreation & Wellness Center; The University of Texas at San Antonio Recreation & Wellness Center; and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Student Recreation & Wellness Center.

NIRSA selects and publishes facility information from the winners as a resource for campus master planners, recreational sports directors, designers, architects, contractors and recreational sports students.

The judges evaluated each facility on several criteria: correlation to the campus master plan and mission; intended and actual impact on the recreational program; unique aesthetic or architectural features; the relationship between facility design and staffing; innovative construction materials or methods; sustainable features; and technological benefits for the customer, staff or budget.

To be eligible for the OSF awards, the facility must belong to a NIRSA member institution, must be no more than two years old, must have total construction costs of at least $2 million, and must be more than 20,000 square feet.