Friday, April 02, 2004

Wilmington, N.C.—A formal groundbreaking for the Almkuist-Nixon Sports Medicine Complex at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington will take place at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 14, adjacent to the Nixon Annex of Trask Coliseum.

The ceremony will include remarks by Chancellor Rosemary DePaolo, recognition of Dr. Durwood A. Almkuist and Dr. William P. Nixon Jr. and comments by Peg Bradley-Doppes, UNCW’s athletics director. Following the formal part of the program, the group will don hard hats and grab shovels for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the actual site of construction near the annex.

The $2.2 million, 10,000-square foot complex will include a state-of-the-art sports medicine facility for care of UNCW’s 300-plus student-athletes. It will feature a hydrotherapy pool, a large classroom, a conference room, three locker rooms and 13 offices. Occupancy is planned for the spring of 2005.

Following the groundbreaking, refreshments will be served in the Golden Hawk Room of the Nixon Annex and tours of the athletics administration building will be conducted by student-athletes. The newly-constructed media room in Trask Coliseum will also be open to the general public.

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Media Contact: Joe Browning, assistant athletic director, 910/962-3236 or e-mail browningj@uncw.edu. For the most updated information about the installation events, visit www.uncw.edu/chancellor/installation/.