Welcoming the Lions Arena!

On Jan. 5, 2022, it was announced to the students that the Lions Arena will be built in replacement of The Pit. This arena will be three stories tall, with 60,000 square footage. The Pit will be removed during the summer of 2022, with the hope that the arena will be open in 2024. The Lions Arena will create a new area for athletics, as well as new learning spaces.

Laura Capo is the director of Engagement and Development, as well as the Campaign Manager of the University Advancement Team. This position allows her to connect both alumni and friends to the Vanguard community, and in addition she also secures financial resources. Some of the projects in her portfolio include: The Landmark Campaign, Vanguard Giving Day, and the Lions Arena which is Phase II in the Imagine Campaign.

She explained that the “construction of the Lions Arena will serve as the completion of the student life section of campus. With the opening of the Lions Arena, students will be able to study, gather, experience community, show the Lion pride at an event, or play in an intramural game – all within steps of their dorm rooms.”

Laura Capo also shares that, “The Lions Arena will be a bustling source of pride for the entire Vanguard University community, that will deepen school spirit for all Lions and enhance our athletic, academic, and student life experience.”

In terms of athletics, the gymnasium seat count will be upped to 1,910 from The Pit’s current 900 seats. The Lion’s Arena will also include men and women’s locker rooms, an athletic training room for recovery, a weight room, and concession and ticketing areas. For the athletic personal there will be athletic workstations, offices, and conference spaces.

On the educational side, the Kinesiology department will occupy a large space in the Lions Arena. There will be offices and workstations for staff, as well as a physical therapy lab, a human performance lab, and some general classrooms for students. There will also be student meeting areas, breakout lounges, and study spaces.

Women’s basketball player, Lauren Baumgartner, has played basketball in The Pit for the last three years. She is also majoring in Kinesiology. She is excited for, “a new and bigger athletic training room and weight room. [She’s] also excited for the new kinesiology labs that will be added.”

This arena will complete the University’s decade-long investment in renovated residence halls, outdoor fields, and the Waugh Student Center. When everything is put together, the dynamic student life core on campus will be accomplished.

Vanguard University Athletics | This is the inside of The Pit.

Although Vanguard is moving forward in renovating the campus, with the new Lions Arena; The Pit has impacted an immense amount of people including, student athletes, referees, old coaches, alumni, fans, members of the community, and even visiting teams. It’s not necessarily the building itself, but all the amazing memories people have experienced within those four walls.

The Pit has been the home to men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, wrestling, and STUNT teams since it was built in the 1940s. Vanguard teams have collected over 1,000 victories, including several Golden State Athletic Conference Champions and two NAIA National Championships in The Pit.

Lauren is going to miss The Pit a lot. She shared “Games have been won and lost, but we’ve always come together as a school and had each other’s back. Not even just for games, but also for things such as school dodgeball. I really like the fact that it isn’t a huge gym that fits thousands of people. Rather it’s very personal.”

Men’s volleyball player, Valesis Vaisuai, also shared how he felt about the removal of The Pit. He said, “I’m sad, because that’s where the bond of chemistry of this program was formed.”

With the memorable moments in mind, Vanguard is hosting The Pit farewell events. There will be a “Farewell to The Pit: Upper Deck” event on February 17, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. This includes both women and men basketball games starting at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively.  There will also be a final “Farewell to The Pit” event on April 29, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. with more details to come.

Laura Capo shared, “Our goal [with these farewell events] is to provide an opportunity for our community to say goodbye while being inspired and looking forward to a new facility.” She continues to say, “When hearing from our community it truly is bittersweet to say goodbye to The Pit, so we wanted to provide a ‘season’ for them to have one last experience in this special place.”

Students, alumni, staff, and everyone in between: make sure to attend the farewell events and soak up all the moments in The Pit as possible. But at the same time, get excited for the new experiences and history that will be formed in the new Lions Arena.