K Ready to make a splash with the new Natatorium

Kalamazoo College is set to make a splash among student-athletes and the community with the completion of an $ 18 million project under development. The College will inaugurate its new natatorium, at 1010, rue Academy, during Back home weekend at 4.30 p.m. Friday 15 October.

The completed project will begin hosting competitions at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 16, while the Men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams organize a triangular meeting against Saginaw Valley State University and Alma College.

In addition to the College track and field events, the Natatorium will host local clubs and high school teams; free swimming pool for students, teachers and staff; and Swim for Success, an innovative partnership between Kalamazoo College Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement and the Kalamazoo Town Parks and Recreation Department. Swim for Success offers affordable swimming lessons, especially for children from low-income families who would otherwise not have access to this vital skill.

“We are delighted because the new natatorium will be a huge asset to our campus and to the Kalamazoo community,” said Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez. “We are deeply grateful to the donors, many of whom are swimming and diving program alumni, who have made an investment that will benefit K students for decades to come. We are also proud that a deep and impactful program like Swim for Success has once again a place here.

The 29,600-square-foot, two-story facility will feature eight competition lanes, a separate diving area with 1-meter and 3-meter boards, deck seating for athletes, a dry-field training room, an office suite for coaches and meet management, a high quality timing system and large scoreboard, varsity team locker rooms for swimmers and divers, an area for displaying awards in the lobby and features and LEED sustainable design elements.

The former Natatorium had housed the College’s swimming and diving teams for five decades. Student-athletes on these teams included eight National Champions, three National Divers of the Year, and 32 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference championship teams. Swimming and diving coach Jay Daniels expects the new natatorium to help the Hornets continue this tradition of excellence.

“The old building was more than a pool for us,” Daniels said. “It was a space where student-athletes pursued their passion, forged lasting relationships and developed their fitness, dynamism and discipline. We know that this natatorium will be that and more for us. This will help us recruit student-athletes to K, strengthen our competitiveness and ensure our future success. “