Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions throughout the spring, construction of the Saxon Hill Sports Complex, Alfred University’s $30 million sports and recreation facility atop Jericho Hill in the town of Alfred, remains on target for completion in December.
Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions throughout the spring, construction of the Saxon Hill Sports Complex, Alfred University’s $30 million sports and recreation facility atop Jericho Hill in the town of Alfred, remains on target for completion in December.
“The rain has been challenging; however, we currently remain within schedule and within budget,” said Deb Steward, associate vice president for Student Experience, Athletics and Recreation.
Construction at the 200-acre site, located approximately three miles south of campus, began in October, with LeChase Construction of Rochester serving as construction project manager. The Rochester-based architectural firm CPL performed design services; LG Evans Construction of Avon, NY, is the subcontractor for site construction; Chenango Contracting, Inc., from Johnson City, NY, will install the turf fields; Crafco, Inc. will install the track; and Musco Sports Lighting will provide energy efficient sports field lighting. The facility will be ready to host practices and athletics competition in the spring of 2026.
Saxon Hill Sports Complex website
Recently-completed work includes the installation of the scoreboard serving the track and multi-purpose field. The 25-foot scoreboard will have video display capabilities and be equipped with a Stadium Sportsound System. Two other scoreboards, for the baseball and rugby field, have also been installed. Other portions of the project recently completed include installation of drainage/retention ponds, utility lines, gravel base of parking lots, field lighting, subsurface for the fields and track, and footers of Saxon Hill Sports Center.
Workers are in the final stages of preparing the subsurface of the baseball field and multi-purpose field in preparation for turf installment this summer, as well as readying the rugby field subsurface in preparation for grass seeding. Scoreboard foundations will be set for the baseball and rugby fields, and foundations poured for the Saxon Hill Sports Center.
Once completed, Saxon Hill will have facilitated the addition of four new intercollegiate varsity athletics teams: baseball, men’s and women’s rugby, and field hockey. The baseball team began competing in the spring of 2024 and will begin playing at its home field at Saxon Hill in spring 2026; women’s rugby began competing as an intercollegiate varsity sport this fall; men’s rugby, formerly housed under student clubs, is now an official intercollegiate athletic team. Field hockey will begin competition in the fall of 2025.
It is anticipated that site development—utilities, parking lots, roadways—will be finished by November 2025. Other aspects of the project will simultaneously be constructed. The baseball field will be completed by October 2025, while the track and multi-purpose field, throws area, and rugby field will be finished by December 2025. Construction of the various buildings at the complex began in March and is expected to be completed by December 2025.
Once completed, the Saxon Hill Sports Complex will include:
- Saxon Hill Sports Center: locker rooms; athletic training room; offices; assembly space where alumni, parents/families can gather for tailgate functions; officials’ locker room; media room.
- Baseball field: lighted, synthetic turf field with scoreboard; bullpens and dugouts. A two-tier building will house restrooms, a concession stand, team room, public address and game operations space.
- Track and field facility/Multi-purpose turf field: lighted 400-meter eight-lane track with jump and throw areas; video scoreboard. The infield of the track will be a multi-purpose synthetic turf field which will be home to the future intercollegiate field hockey team and as a practice and competition facility for other outdoor field sport teams.
- Rugby field: lighted, natural grass field with scoreboard. The women’s and men’s teams began play as intercollegiate teams this fall.
- Grandstands and Press Box: One set of grandstands will face the track and multi-purpose field, the other will face the rugby field. A dual-sided press box will feature public address and game operations booths for each competition venue and will include spectator restrooms and visitors’ team rooms.
The university recently secured a piece of artwork from Amelia Booth, a women’s lacrosse student-athlete who received her BFA degree in May. The piece, titled “Game Plan,” will be installed on a wall in the foyer of the Saxon Hill Sports Center.
A piece of neon glass artwork, titled “Game Plan” and created by former Alfred University student-athlete Amelia Booth ’25, will be installed in the Saxon Hill Sports Center foyer. Amelia, a four-year standout on the women’s lacrosse team, received a B.F.A degree in May.
“Amelia’s senior project included multiple pieces related to sport and her experience as a student-athlete. This neon piece titled Game Plan is perfect for the foyer as it depicts representation of the lines on the turf field, track lane lines, a coach’s diagram of a play, and our school colors,” Steward commented. “I am thrilled that we can showcase an Alfred University ‘artlete’ – a term shared by our Dean of the School of Art and Design and Performing Arts Division, Lauren Lake.”
The Saxon Hill Sports Complex is funded by a combination of bonds and philanthropic gifts; to date, approximately $11.3 million has been raised through philanthropy.
Saxon Hill will provide valuable practice space for other field sport teams—men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, and women’s soccer—that currently practice and compete at Yunevich Stadium on the Alfred University campus. An existing cross country course—which has been used primarily for training but has hosted competitive meets—will be retained and used for practices and competitions. In addition, the Saxon Hill Sports Complex will provide space for intramurals and club sports as well as other recreational activities. The complex will host sports camps and provide opportunities for facility rentals.
The facility is expected to be a boon for student-athlete recruitment and student retention, with the University estimating it will increase enrollment by approximately 170 students over the first six years of its opening. The complex will complement nearby existing sports, recreational, and academic facilities located in the area atop Jericho Hill. These include the Bromeley-Daggett Equestrian Center at Maris Cuneo Equine Park, home to Alfred University’s world-class equestrian program, and Foster Lake, which provides the campus community with numerous recreational and co-curricular opportunities.