The new Marshall Sports Institute at Marshall University in Huntington, WVa, opened its doors on September 6.
The Marshall University newspaper The Parthenon notes in a news article that the 22,500-square-foot facility—part of the Chris Cline Athletic Complex—cost $35 million to compete and is included as a part of the Marshall University Athletics Vision Campaign, which began in 2011.
It features an indoor practice facility, classrooms, an x-ray room, and a physical therapy area with weight equipment, per the news article.
“Before this year, we didn’t have physical therapy, we didn’t have the equipment, and we didn’t have the hydrotherapy unit that we have in there. We really went from nothing to probably having the best sports medicine in the country or of any school I have seen,” says Marshall University Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick in the news story.
Some of the weight equipment at Marshall Sports Institute can be also seen in Marshall University’s Rec Center, the news story notes. However, Shawn Bastin, the executive director of rehabilitation at Marshall University, states that the difference is the specialists who work in the facility.
“All of this equipment is pretty standard in a lot of gyms,” Bastin adds. “We have professionals that are specializing in sports medicine, whether that it’s physical therapists or athletic trainers. We utilize this as a tool to help train or help heal an athlete.”
[Source: The Parthenon]
