VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — As the biggest tournament of the year for college basketball continues, Regent University in Virginia Beach is focused on building toward its program’s future.
If you are driving down Centerville Tpke toward the highway or the city's landfill you may notice some missing trees.
That's all part of Regent University’s construction of new athletic fields and facility.
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Michael Allen, the university's athletic director, said the expansion is part of founder Pat Robertson’s vision to not only serve students but to add amenities for the area, which currently lacks a recreation center.
“It will include a baseball field, softball field, track, and a turf field in the middle for soccer, as well as an athletic and fitness center,” Allen added.
Antoine Brown, a student-athlete from Chesapeake and a sophomore on Regent's basketball team, believes the facilities will be a game-changer for all sports.
“These days, we practice about 10 minutes away from campus, but with what’s being built, it will advance our play,” Brown said. “You won’t have to worry about traveling a long time; there will be state-of-the-art gyms, trainers, courts, and fields.”
Watch related coverage: Regent University eyes NCAA Division III status
The project comes at a time when Regent University is making its way into Division III of the NCAA.
While the total cost of the project around $50 million, some students feel that the money could be spent elsewhere.
“They’ve done a lot of great things, but I think this is the wrong decision," Kellan Jones, a student, said. "They need to focus on putting that money into their programs and student life rather than achieving something the university wasn’t really founded on.”
However, the university maintains that these facilities will benefit more than just student-athletes.
“It’s an athletic and fitness center, so it will benefit all students, faculty, and staff here at Regent,” Allen said.
Allen said the facility is expected to open in the Fall of 2027 and that the university is looking to replenish those trees removed throughout the campus.
