By: Erik Pedersen, Content Strategy Director
BALTIMORE – Notre Dame of Maryland University’s primary outdoor athletics field is undergoing a $2.2 million renovation this summer, funded by the historic $50 million Go Beyond campaign, with the installation of a new turf surface which will provide substantial benefits to both the Athletics Department and the general campus community.
Construction of the new turf playing surface for Alumnae Field began in mid-May 2024 and is expected to be completed by August 2024. In addition to the turf field itself, the project includes an upgraded stormwater drainage system, a new retaining wall and fencing along the road side of the facility, and replacement netting behind the goals.
“We are very excited for the addition of the turf field, as it will provide our student-athletes with the opportunity to train on the surface that they most-frequently play on.” said Dr. Ashley Hodges, director of athletics and wellness at NDMU. “The all-weather surface will allow student-athletes to practice in all conditions after previously having to share gym space. This addition will increase our competitiveness in the United East Conference, attracting more student-athletes on the recruiting trail.”
Alumnae Field serves as the current home for NDMU’s women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, and men’s soccer programs, and it will be the future home for a men’s lacrosse team expected to begin play in the 2025-26 academic year. Color-coded markings will be painted on the field for rules specific to soccer, women’s lacrosse, men’s lacrosse, and field hockey.
Installation of the turf field completes another major priority of NDMU’s historic $50 million Go Beyond campaign to support transformational initiatives at the University. The campaign, launched in fall 2018, has raised record-breaking funding for student scholarships, faculty research, and the University’s endowment, while supporting facility enhancements across campus, including a recent $9 million renovation to the Knott Science and Innovation Center.
The turf field project will include the creation of infrastructure to support the installation of lighting at Alumnae Field in future years. It will also provide enhanced information technology capability in the area surrounding the scorer’s table.
Benefits to the campus community include increased weather-resilient outdoor space for intramural competitions and other events hosted by NDMU’s diverse group of student organizations. Notre Dame’s softball and baseball programs will additionally be able to use the space for on-campus practices during the school year. The baseball team is set to begin competition in the 2024-25 academic year.
NDMU currently sponsors 13 Division III sports competing in the United East Conference. The Athletics Department has earned five conference championships in recent years, with women’s basketball (2023), women’s lacrosse (2019, 2021), and volleyball (2018, 2019) all earning trips to their respective Division III tournaments. Seven sports (women’s and men’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse, softball, and women’s tennis) qualified for United East postseason tournaments during the 2023-24 academic year.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.