SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—Westminster College has completed the installation of new artificial turf on Dumke Field for 2018-19 season.  The installation was completed this past June.

The new surface, FieldTurf Core with CoolPlay infield, replaces the original artificial surface that was installed in 2006.  Dumke Field is home to the men's and women's soccer and lacrosse teams and has hosted 352 games over 12 years. 

"We're pleased to have FieldTurf CORE, the latest innovation from FieldTurf, installed at Dumke Field," said Shay Wyatt, Director of Athletics. "Our goal was to provide a high-quality surface for our student-athletes and campus community and we believe we've accomplished that. We look forward to the experience it will provide our campus and student-athletes in the coming years."

FieldTurf CORE is the world's first multi-layer dual-polymer fiber and is engineered for elite level facilities.  In a statement from FieldTurf, "CORE is designed to deliver a more realistic, textured, grass-like shape with optimal durability and resiliency. CORE rewrites the playbook for sports turf, reinvents the playing field, and redefines the player experience."  CoolPlay infill is designed to reduce field surface temperatures.

Fans and visitors will immediately see the large griffin logo at midfield and a 110 meter three-lane straightaway track.  Upgrades that are not visible include a quarter inch pad beneath the field and network equipment upgrades that will improve the live streaming capabilities with multiple cameras and instant replay.

Coaches and student-athletes are excited and ready to step on the new field. 

Men's Lacrosse head coach Mason Goodhand said, "This is a first-class upgrade and it helps us keep pace with all the advances in turf technology.  We already notice a significant decrease in heat radiation, which should make it more user friendly on hot spring, summer and fall days."

Josh Pittman, men's soccer head coach, shared, "We are very excited to have a new surface to play on.  The new field is the most state of the art turf that plays most like a natural surface.  It should benefit all of our student-athletes.  We can't wait to get on there and get going!"
 
Cross country and track and field head coach Dann Quinn said, "With the new Track lanes our practice times can be consolidated allowing for more technical instruction. I believe the three lanes will put us on campus training 75% more the past years.  I am certain, our sprinters and hurdlers will see huge improvement," head coach Dan Quinn shared.

Men's and women's soccer will play their first home game, on the new surface, on August 18 against the Eagles of USU Eastern.  The men's and women's soccer schedules can be found on the athletics website.