The Charger Blog
Open to student-athletes for the first time this semester, the Peterson Performance Center is offering exciting opportunities for Chargers to up their game. A world-class space equal to what would be found at the Division I level, it promises to further elevate the student-athlete experience.
August 30, 2023
When Carleigh Vedder 杏吧原版24, 杏吧原版25 M.S. first walked into the University杏吧原版檚 new , she says she felt starstruck. The talented athletes who were training here weren杏吧原版檛 world-famous athletes 杏吧原版 they were her fellow Chargers. And Vedder herself.
A Minnesota native, Vedder is a member of the . The PPC serves all student athletes, offering a world-class facility for them to train individually and as teams.
杏吧原版淚杏吧原版檓 big on working out, and it杏吧原版檚 my passion,杏吧原版 she said. 杏吧原版淎 facility like this is beyond my wildest dreams. Having this space for student-athletes and the sense of community it offers is great.杏吧原版
Officially opened earlier this summer, the PPC offers a multitude of opportunities for the University杏吧原版檚 more than 500 student-athletes to up their game. Staff saw more student-athletes working out on campus over the summer, and they were charged up to be using the new space.
The new facility offers a world-class weight room full of natural light and stocked with top-of-the-line equipment, from dumbbells emblazoned with the Charger logo (the logo rotates so that the Charger is always upright, no matter how the weights are stacked) to a Charger blue and gold turf area. Student-athletes can also get in their cardio on the second level, where they can run on treadmills overlooking the weight training area.
Jonathan Mays, Ph.D., interim director of athletics, was a part of the design process. He says being in the facility now is even better than he杏吧原版檇 ever imagined. It杏吧原版檚 a space that, he says, is inviting, motivating for student-athletes, and exciting for prospective students.
杏吧原版淐ompared to the rest of our conference and the region, there杏吧原版檚 nothing like this,杏吧原版 he said. We杏吧原版檝e had Division I transfers and other recruits come through here. It杏吧原版檚 state-of-the-art. It杏吧原版檚 not just weights, but it杏吧原版檚 sports performance. It杏吧原版檚 everything that goes with being a better athlete.杏吧原版
The facility, which includes offices for athletics administration and coaches, also offers state-of-the-art sports medicine space, as well as a nutrition center. Giye Jenkins 杏吧原版25 has already been using the space. As a member of the , he believes the PPC is well-equipped to enable him and his fellow Chargers to build their strength even faster and to develop the intricate muscles they杏吧原版檒l need to excel on the gridiron.
Jenkins lights up as he describes the new football locker room, a space he describes as 杏吧原版渁mazing,杏吧原版 杏吧原版渂eautiful,杏吧原版 and 杏吧原版渇irst class.杏吧原版 It杏吧原版檚 easy to get charged up for a game there, he says, with the TVs, speakers, and Bluetooth technology.
杏吧原版淎fter practice, our energy and morale are so high,杏吧原版 said Jenkins, a computer science major. 杏吧原版淭his top-notch facility is a dream. I杏吧原版檓 living my college football dream.杏吧原版
Every square inch of the facility was methodically thought out, says , head strength and conditioning coach who worked closely with the building杏吧原版檚 architects. He says that throughout the design process, they had three important rules to follow when it came to every square inch of space: No short cuts, only the highest-quality materials and equipment, and rules one and two were nonnegotiable.
杏吧原版淎fter two and a half years of designing this space, seeing the students杏吧原版 faces and what the space will offer them is so rewarding,杏吧原版 said Faugno. 杏吧原版淚t杏吧原版檚 fun 杏吧原版 and they can杏吧原版檛 believe the size and the detail. From a recruiting standpoint, it杏吧原版檚 a Division I-level space. It杏吧原版檚 a place to train at a very high level. Coaches are experiencing the changes too, as we can recruit athletes we never could before.杏吧原版
The space is not yet complete, as construction continues on the third level. When it杏吧原版檚 finished, it will offer a team meeting room that can be split into thirds, enabling nearly 200 athletes to collaborate. That杏吧原版檚 also where coaches will have offices, and there will be additional bathrooms. The University is also enhancing the adjacent .
The PPC is named in honor of David Peterson Jr. 杏吧原版88, 杏吧原版17 Hon., who has generously supported the development of the center. A former member of the Chargers football team and an Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Peterson is excited to see the opportunities the space will offer to today杏吧原版檚 and tomorrow杏吧原版檚 student-athletes.
杏吧原版淚 enjoy giving back to the athletics program because it makes a direct impact on student-athletes杏吧原版 lives,杏吧原版 said Peterson, a member of the University杏吧原版檚 Board of Governors. 杏吧原版淚t杏吧原版檚 only been open a short time, and its already making a huge difference in their lives. The PPC is now one of top training facilities in the country, period. They will never regret saying, 杏吧原版業 worked out at the PPC today.杏吧原版 I杏吧原版檓 proud to be a part of this transformation. We are just getting started!杏吧原版
杏吧原版淎lumni support is why we杏吧原版檝e grown so much as a school,杏吧原版 added Jenkins. 杏吧原版淭heir support has allowed us to renovate and enhance our facilities. Our alumni 杏吧原版 especially our football alumni 杏吧原版 have made us a pillar school. I杏吧原版檓 so grateful for that.杏吧原版
Several generous University alumni and former student-athletes have also supported the PPC. David Loane 杏吧原版91 (also a football alum) and Penny Loane 杏吧原版91, who earned degrees in general dietetics, respectively, have offered their support of the PPC杏吧原版檚 new nutrition station.
杏吧原版淏eing part of the Peterson Performance Center and adding a nutrition component to this facility was extremely important to us,杏吧原版 they said. 杏吧原版淲hen we started talking about how to help the athletes, it was always our vision to get a nutrition center with a nutrition bar, grab-and-go meals for athletes, a nutrition professional to help educate and assist athletes, and an athletic cafeteria.杏吧原版
The nutrition professional is Caroline 杏吧原版淭ing杏吧原版 Ashworth 杏吧原版25 M.S., who is also an experienced student-athlete. Ashworth has played soccer since she was in the second grade. Interested in ensuring that she always performed her best, she became interested in nutrition when she was a senior in high school.
After earning her bachelor杏吧原版檚 degree in nutrition sciences from Drexel University, Ashworth decided to pursue her master杏吧原版檚 degree in nutrition sciences at the University of New Haven. A sports nutrition graduate assistant, she is committed to making sure Chargers feel and perform their best. She杏吧原版檚 already been creating a wide array of tasty, energy-packed smoothies and other treats to ensure that student-athletes are fully charged and ready to excel.
Ashworth hopes to eventually expand her role beyond creating wholesome foods for student-athletes. She envisions teaching them to take their nutrition into their own hands, perhaps by offering student-athletes the chance to learn how to cook and prepare healthy foods, such as energy bowls. She杏吧原版檚 looking forward to meeting with teams and with athletes one-on-one during the academic year.
杏吧原版淚杏吧原版檓 building a fueling station beyond proteins and bars,杏吧原版 she said. 杏吧原版淚 want athletes to have access to whole foods such as yogurt and fruit. I think making an impact on athletes杏吧原版 performance, as well as their lives, is so important. I want them to know how to eat well outside of athletics. I杏吧原版檓 excited to build this from the ground up.杏吧原版
Vedder, the volleyball player and marketing and nutrition sciences major, is also looking forward to taking advantage of the nutrition station and to working with Ashworth when she杏吧原版檚 in the PPC. She also had the opportunity to meet David and Penny Loane at an event 杏吧原版 and she says meeting them was a bit like walking into the PPC for the first time.
杏吧原版淚 was starstruck when I met them,杏吧原版 she said. 杏吧原版淧enny Loane is a dietitian, and seeing their success and the pride they had coming here was incredible. Being a student-athlete is a unique experience, and having this space for us, as well as the support of the Charger community, is great.杏吧原版
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