Clarion Athletics

On February 6, 2018, Clarion University and the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) announced that the long-awaited renovation of Waldo S. Tippin Gymnasium would begin later in the spring.

The $42.7 million project will be a total renovation with a new entrance/lobby to the facility, complete overhaul of the basketball courts and seating, natatorium overhaul with a new combination swimming/ diving pool, expanded areas for wrestling, new weight room, new locker rooms and a new auxiliary gymnasium. The facility will also get new restrooms, HVAC system replacement and new LED lighting fixtures throughout. In addition, the project is designed to achieve the LEED Silver level of sustainability under the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations.

The contractors for the project are: Mascaro Construction Company (General), Renick Brothers Mechanical Contractors (HVAC), Shipley Brothers Construction, Inc. (Plumbing) and Westmoreland Electric Services, LLC (Electrical).

The renovation process began as scheduled in late-March / early-April, and is slated to last 17 total months.  
 

Before the project started, Clarion athletics administrators and coaches moved their offices to nearby Ralston Hall, where they will remain until the project is completed.  Likewise, with Tippin Gymnasium under renovation, Golden Eagle athletics programs will practice and compete in other facilities on campus.

• Volleyball / Men's Basketball / Women's Basketball will compete in the Student Recreation Center, which underwent a recent facelift of its own.  A new hardwood playing surface was installed in Summer 2017 as well as new lighting.
• Wrestling will compete on the stage at Marwick-Boyd Auditorium.  The new setup is not totally unfamiliar, as the Golden Eagles first used the stage for a match against Michigan State in 2017 and competed there throughout the 2017-18 season.
• Men's / Women's Swimming & Diving will practice and compete in off-campus facilities, with more details coming in the future.

This page will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
 



UPDATE MAY 4, 2018 - CLARION HOSTS OFFICIAL "GROUNDBREAKING" CEREMONY FOR TIPPIN PROJECT
 

CLARION, Pa.  – Clarion University hosted alumni, students, faculty, staff and local officials Friday to celebrate the official groundbreaking for the $42.7 million Tippin Gymnasium Renovation Project. The highly anticipated project will result in a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a hub for on-campus fitness and recreation focused on student health and wellness, and also will help to attract future students and student athletes.
           
"Here we are as Clarion University's 150th year draws to a close, celebrating a project that I think symbolizes our collective optimism for the future, for the next 150 years if you will," said Peter C. Fackler, interim president. "Even as the University's proud past gives us a well-deserved sense of accomplishment, we have confidence that our university's best years are surely yet to come."

"I am so excited for the changes coming to Clarion athletics, as this project is a commitment to our program, our institution and our community," said Dr. Wendy Snodgrass, director of intercollegiate athletics. "We are going to be here for another 150 years, and our athletic programs are going to thrive as a result of this investment."

"The legacy of Tippin Gym is part of the fabric of Clarion's history. For more than four decades it is where student athletes have trained and competed, many going on to compete on the world's stage," said Dr. Karen Whitney, interim chancellor, PASSHE. "This renovation is a testament to the investment Clarion is making in student athletes and further proves that Clarion is a thriving campus community where the student experience is a priority."