As the final stages of the new Track and Field/Soccer Complex are in progress, the NIU women’s track and field team come closer to having a facility to call its own.

“The entire team is very grateful to NIU, the athletic department and President Peters for everything they have done,” head coach Connie Teaberry said. “We are tremendously grateful as a program for the chance to let track and soccer compete and succeed at home.”

Before the complex was built, Teaberry said the team would practice at the Convocation Center’s indoor track, the “North 40” behind Anderson Hall and DeKalb High School, until the NCAA disallowed them to do so.

Finding a place to practice will no longer be an issue as the eight-lane track is nearly ready for action.

“We have workouts scheduled for October,” Teaberry said. “It would be icing on the cake if we could get on before that, but as of now it’s scheduled for October for our fall training. We’re working with weights now so it’s perfect for our schedules.”

The track portion of the complex features an eight-lane track and straightaway. According to the NIU website, the track has a “sandwich system” that features two layered synthetic materials to protect the surface from damage due to rain and snow, while also making it suitable for both practices and competitions. It also features the space to run track and field events at the same time.

According to NIU, the north zone will house the high jump area and the pole vault will be opposite that. The west zone will feature three pits for long jumps and triple jumps.

Just south of the track there are separate throwing areas, which will not interfere with the running events, reducing the time of competitions.

Along with a boost for the current team, Teaberry also expects the new facility to aid in recruitment of new players.

“I expect an increase in the quality of the athlete,” Teaberry said. “[The complex] will impact recruiting in a positive way because it gives them a facility to train at and get better than they were in a high school.”

As the track and field teams wait to test out their new home, the men’s and women’s soccer teams have already enjoyed the new turf, and have been victorious on it as well.

The women’s team played the first two matches on the new field, winning 1-0 over Eastern Illinois on Aug. 29 and 2-0 over Georgia Southern on Aug. 31. On Friday the men’s team needed two overtimes to defeat Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 3-2.

Prior to their match, the men’s soccer team had only stepped onto the new field once for a short practice, but head coach Steve Simmons sensed some excitement from his players.

“The one time we were on it the players were pretty excited,” Simmons said. “We just had a short practice on it Saturday and indications were that they enjoyed the surface.”

The new field turf is FIFA 2-Star Certified, meaning it is the highest available quality of artificial soccer turf in the world. The turf will give the players more consistency when it comes to feel and overall play quality. It also drains better to allow the field to withstand heavy rains. The FIFA turf was installed by Mondo USA, who provided turf for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, along with many soccer fields in Europe.

The high quality turf will also give NIU the chance to host international competition such as the Olympics. In March, the Northern Star reported that NIU could host preliminary soccer rounds if Chicago wins the 2016 Olympic bid. That possibility took one more step toward reality.

“It’s not only a big deal for the student athletes, but you can play an Olympic match here too,” Simmons said.

As of now, Simmons said the complex is only open to the teams on game day, adding that the track needs to be finished. Simmons added he hopes the complex will be available for practice use for the team’s conference tournament.

For the time being, the teams practice at Huskie Stadium.

Simmons also said he has already begun to see the recruiting benefits of the new field. He said facilities such as the new complex and the Yordon Center help make a big difference in the quality of recruits entering the program.

He also added there is a plan to get lighting for the field by 2009. He hopes the complex will branch out further than NIU, possibly hosting the Castle Bank Challenge between DeKalb High School and Sycamore High School, which has previously been played at Huskie Stadium.

“This is also great for the community,” Simmons said. “I hope this facility will go beyond just helping our men’s and women’s teams.”