A Building for Everybody

The Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center has transformed campus life
Words by Bob Keyes
Photographs by Ashley L. Conti and Gabe Souza
large group of students walking through Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center
Above: From the moment the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center opened in 2020, the flow of people and pace of activities have barely stopped. Tuesday is the busiest day of the week, when students, faculty, and staff enter the building an average of 3,200 times—an impressive number given the student body numbers about 2,200.
large group of students walking through Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center
Above: From the moment the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center opened in 2020, the flow of people and pace of activities have barely stopped. Tuesday is the busiest day of the week, when students, faculty, and staff enter the building an average of 3,200 times—an impressive number given the student body numbers about 2,200.

A Building for Everybody

The Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center has transformed campus life
Words by Bob Keyes
Photographs by Ashley L. Conti and Gabe Souza
The Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center impacted campus life the moment it opened in fall 2020. That was a few months before vaccines for Covid-19 had become available, and everybody was seeking their six feet of personal space.

Above all, the 354,000-square-foot athletics and recreation center offered space—lots and lots of well-ventilated space.

It became a place to decompress from uncertainty and stress, and where people could act and feel human. The training staff arranged hundreds of pieces of fitness and cardio equipment 20 feet apart throughout the building, including around the ice rink and alongside the pool.

“This place allowed them to have a release valve. You could sense it when people came in here—they could just breathe.”
— Mike Wisecup, vice president and Harold Alfond Director of Athletics
Within the glass walls, people took off their masks, exercised their bodies and minds, and maintained a sense of routine as the world unfolded. It’s been a magnet since, embodying a spirit of connectivity and becoming a place where students, faculty, and staff can come together as one and still find their own space and a personal sense of belonging.

“This place allowed them to have a release valve,” said Mike Wisecup, vice president and Harold Alfond Director of Athletics. “You could sense it when people came in here—they could just breathe.”

Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center is the most advanced D-III athletics facility in the country. Made possible in large part from the philanthropic support of the Harold Alfond Foundation, the $200-million center opened in fall 2020. It gives Colby’s varsity sports and burgeoning recreation programs room to thrive and grow, and it has won widespread accolades for its architecture, green design, and across-the-board functionality.
Designed to promote health, wellness, and the optimal performance of body and mind, the building has been certified LEED Platinum, the highest green-building rating available. Colby also has received SITES Gold certification for landscape design of the 31-acre complex. In addition, the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center has earned national and international recognition for its design, function, and sustainability, winning a dozen awards or recognitions from organizations that specialize in sports, recreation, and architecture.

The building has transformed Colby athletics and recreation programs with its modern training facilities, spacious locker rooms, and superb competition venues that encourage athletic excellence. That is especially true with the Aquatics Center, where an unprecedented 167 school, meet, and national records were set over two weekends in spring 2022 when Colby hosted the Men’s and Women’s NESCAC Swimming and Diving Championships. The new Myrtha pool—Northern New England’s only 50-meter pool—was engineered for optimal performance, with less water resistance, more buoyancy, and lower levels of energy-sapping poolside humidity.

swimmers mid-race at the NESCAC Swimming and Diving Championships at its new Myrtha pool
Above: An unprecedented 167 school, meet, and national records were set in spring 2022 when Colby hosted the NESCAC Swimming and Diving Championships at its new Myrtha pool.
That success spilled over into other winter sports when the Colby women’s hockey team, celebrating its 50th anniversary, made new memories in the O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum and Jack Kelley Rink by hosting and winning its first NCAA tournament game, defeating Norwich University 5-2. Under head coach Holley Tyng, the team won a record 18 games, finished ranked No. 8 in the country, and placed two players on All-NESCAC teams. One, Meg Rittenhouse ’24, earned All-American honors.

The men’s hockey team excelled as well. Under Jack Kelley Head Coach for Colby Men’s Hockey Blaise MacDonald, the team advanced to the semifinals of the NESCAC Men’s Hockey Championship and landed a trio of players on the All-NESCAC team, and defenseman Jack Sullivan ’24 won All-American honors.

“Having a good training staff was important to me and my family and was a big part of my decision in coming to Colby.”
—Hockey player Max Abene ‘26
The proof is in the results. But the impact of the center, which cost $200 million to design and build and was made possible with a lead gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation, reaches far beyond the performance of Colby’s varsity sports teams.

From the moment the building opened, the flow of people hasn’t stopped.

On many days, there are morning yoga classes, noontime games of pickup basketball, and evening open swims. Tuesday is the busiest day, when students, faculty, and staff enter the building an average of 3,200 times, an impressive number given the student body this year numbered about 2,200. They work out in the Boulos Family Fitness Center, ascend Aidan’s Climbing and Bouldering Wall, and, when the weather’s nice, congregate in the David F. O’Donnell Courtyard.

athletic trainer Amanda Lucky working with a Colby baseball player before the start of a game in Davenport, Fla., in March 2023
Above: As part of Colby’s Peak Performance program, athletic trainer Amanda Lucky works with a Colby baseball player before the start of a game in Davenport, Fla., in March 2023.

‘They gave us the keys to the car’

Colby’s recreation program has flourished under Director of Recreation Services Nashid Bracy and Associate Director of Recreation Services Marc Roy. They arrived at Colby days apart in fall 2021 and began expanding the recreation program to fully utilize the building and match activities with student interests.
Peak Performance, launched in 2019 with an anonymous $2-million gift, combines all areas that impact an athlete’s experience and performance into a holistic model to enhance an individual’s contribution to the team experience. Anne Beethe became the program’s director in 2022, overseeing the development and execution of the Peak Performance team, including sports medicine, strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, and sports science.
“They gave us the keys to the car, and now we’re driving,” Bracy said.

There are close to 35 club sports and more under consideration. “There’s pickleball, badminton, dodgeball,” Bracy said, ticking off the offerings that quickly came to mind. “Group fitness, yoga, ballroom dance, self-defense. We’ve got several club sports pending—men’s and women’s basketball, women’s cycling, women’s lacrosse.”

It adds up to an institution willing to invest in the health and well-being of its people. Students, faculty, and staff are incorporating fitness and exercise into their daily life because it’s convenient and fun, he said, and part of living a healthy life.

‘They were always in awe’

For varsity squash player Clara Lehv ’24, the deciding factor in choosing Colby was the promise of the new athletics and recreation center with nine squash courts and training facilities to support on-court excellence and the overall health of the athlete. “It was a no-brainer,” said Lehv, a science, technology, and society major. “I knew this was going to be a really nice facility with great courts, great trainers, and great locker rooms.”
Elliot Hammerness collecting skates from students following open skate on the Jack Kelley Rink
Above: Elliot Hammerness ’24, a biology major, collects skates from students following open skate on the Jack Kelley Rink at the O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum at the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center.
When Colby hosts a squash meet, visiting players and coaches rave about the facilities. “The first thing every single coach has said is, ‘This is such a great facility. You’re so lucky to have this.’ They were always in awe,” Lehv said, Colby pride evident in her smile.

Max Abene ’26, a first-year hockey player, committed to Colby after touring the O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum and Jack Kelley Rink with MacDonald. “I visited six or seven NESCAC schools, but when I stepped foot on the Colby campus and walked around with Coach MacDonald, it felt like this was a place I could spend a lot of time,” Abene said.

Nashid Bracy talking with Marc Roy, associate director of recreation
Above: Nashid Bracy, left, director of recreation services, talks with Marc Roy, associate director of recreation.
During the season, Abene shows up at 3 in the afternoon to lift weights with teammates, spends two hours on his homework, then hits the ice for practice at 6. “There are really nice spaces all around the athletic center where you can get homework done. It’s nice not having to go back to your room or the library and you can just hang out,” he said.
Named Spaces
Boulos Family Fitness Center
Aidan’s Climbing and Bouldering Wall
Margaret M. Crook Center and Whitmore-Mitchell Basketball Court
Marjorie Bither Administrative Suite
O’Neil Family Wellness Studios
O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum (ice arena) and Jack Kelley Rink
Papadellis Family Erg Room
Cerepak-Knight Room (overlooks O’Neil | O’Donnell Forum)
Hancock Room (overlooks Margaret M. Crook Center)
David F. O’Donnell Courtyard
Pugh Family Hospitality Room (overlooks Aquatics Center)
Richard R. Schmaltz Welcome Pavilion

Head Coach Offices
Jack Kelley Men’s Ice Hockey Head Coach Office
1978 Men’s Lacrosse Team Head Coach Office
Mary Kay Whitmore P’91 Head Coach Office
Locker Rooms
Tom Austin Locker Room for Football and Lacrosse
Ferri Family Alpine and Nordic Skiing Locker Room
Matt Gaudet ’95 Men’s Basketball Locker Room
Smith Family Men’s Swimming and Diving Locker Room
Williams Family Women’s Swimming and Diving Locker Room
Williams Family Men’s Ice Hockey Locker Room
Outdoor Competition Centers
Bill Alfond Field
Coombs Field and the Baseball and Softball Complex
Mark R. Serdjenian Field

After he sprained his right shoulder, the training staff performed suction therapy, muscle scraping, and other forms of physical therapy. In the past, it has taken two weeks or more to recover from a similar injury. “Here, it was maybe four days, tops. That was way quicker than I have ever recovered before,” said Abene, whose father is an orthopedic surgeon.

“Having a good training staff was important to me and my family and was a big part of my decision in coming to Colby.”

The promise of the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center was one reason Head Women’s Soccer Coach Tracey Leone joined Colby in 2022. She has a 25-year career as a player and coach, including at the Division I level and at the highest levels of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

The ability to recruit the top prospective student athletes made her want to coach at Colby. Because coming to Colby meant she could be at her best, too.

“When they come here to see it, they can’t believe it,” Leone said. “But it’s not just the building. They see our teams in here all the time, and they see people coming and going all day long, and they understand it’s much more than a place for just athletes. It’s a brilliantly designed building that truly is for everybody.”

Adaobi Nebuwa signaling to her teammates during a basketball game at the Margaret M. Crook Center
Above: Adaobi Nebuwa ’24, a computer science major, signals to her teammates during a basketball game at the Margaret M. Crook Center inside the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center.
Faculty and staff participating in a PiYoLIVE class with instructor Holly MacKenzie
Above: Faculty and staff participate in a PiYoLIVE class with instructor Holly MacKenzie.