Beren Center, Jordan Field Dedications Set For This Weekend

With an athletics program that is already the envy of the Ivy League, Harvard will officially unveil two brand-new facilities, the Beren Tennis Center and Jordan Field, which will have be the new home for five varsity teams as well as the practice sites for the football and other teams.

The Beren Tennis Center, an expansive, outdoor facility with 18 hard-court surfaces, will replace the confines of the Murr Center as the setting for the men's and women's tennis matches.

The facility will be officially introduced at a ceremony this Sunday at 2 p.m., after which the five-time defending Ivy League champion Crimson men will battle an improved squad from Pennsylvania. The men's first match at the Beren Center is today at 2 p.m. against Princeton.

The brand-new facility should help the tennis program gain national recognition. The 500-person seating capacity does not detract from the intimate feeling at the Beren Center, but it certainly has the potential of transforming Crimson tennis into a popular attraction.

Women's tennis Coach Gordon Graham is excited about the addition and foresees the center as a source of both team pride and an attractive lure for new recruits.

"A top-notch facility of this caliber can be a major source of confidence and pride, helping our athletes to compete at their best," Graham said in the press release. "Equally important, the Beren Tennis Center is a glistening jewel to show off to new recruits, one that lets prospective students know that Harvard is serious about its tennis programs."

Men's tennis Coach David Fish echoed the sentiments of Graham, calling the new courts "a dream come true for Harvard tennis."

This Sunday, there will be additional incentive to catch the action at the new Beren Center, as the first 75 students will receive free t-shirts

The new and improved Jordan Field and the brand new Beren Tennis Center have the potential to enhance the Harvard athletics department, regardless of the results of this weekend's contests.

Jordan Field opened last fall for the field hockey season and is now being used for lacrosse. Tomorrow evening's dedication of the field will also set an historic precedent for Harvard athletics, as the No. 15 men's lacrosse team hosts the No. 4 Princeton Tigers in the first outdoor night game at Harvard.

Though only the lacrosse and field hockey teams will host opponents at the newly renovated Jordan Field, the entire Harvard athletic department will certainly benefit from the new facility.

The expansive field, measuring 235 feet by 370 feet with an Astroturf 12 surface, will serve as a new practice area for the football team as well as other athletic teams.

"Jordan is our first artificial turf field, so it answers a desperate need of our athletes," Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations John Veneziano wrote in an e-mail message.

As the first completely artificial turf field with full lighting, the natural grass fields will not be relied upon as heavily, thus easing scheduling congestion and lessening the effects of the changeable Cambridge weather. Harvard's intramural program may also gain limited use of the new field.

Both the field hockey and lacrosse coaches are eagerly anticipating the opening of Jordan Field and hoping it will improve their programs.

"In both developing and attracting student-athletes, Jordan Field has dramatically affected our chances of consistently being among the best teams in the country," field hockey Coach Susan Caples said in a recent athletic department press release.

Women's lacrosse Coach Carole Kleinfelder summarized her team's immediate level of comfort on the new field and marveled at the flexibility the facility offers.

"Once our team went onto the field, they didn't want to come off," Kleinfelder said in the press release. "And the presence of lights allows us to practice in the evening and to host night games, which makes it easier for students, the community, and parents to see us play."