Taylor University plans to construct a new track and field complex in the spring of 2026. The field will include upgrades such as an improved surface, expanded bleachers and ticketing facilities.
The project is estimated to cost 2.5 to 3.5 million dollars.
The current track, behind Rediger Chapel and the LaRita Boren Campus Center is outdated, Derek Gay, head coach of Taylor’s track and field team, said. Taylor cannot host NAIA competitions on their track without a metal gutter on the inside rim of the course.
Also, the current track lacks bleachers.
“We actually have these portable bleachers that we had to drag out from KSAC whenever we hosted,” Gay said. “But now there will be some actual bleachers and what they call ‘berms.’ It’s basically just like a big hill for spectators that you can sit chairs and stuff on. It will be a lot more spectator-friendly when we host.”
The new facility will also include a fence with a ticket booth at the gates, similar to Taylor Athletics’ other facilities, he said.
It will be constructed near the Gudakunst Softball Field, on the west side of campus, Keith Cocking, director of construction services, said.
“The track requires a very large amount of space compared to a building or something like that,” Cocking said. “There’s not a lot of options on campus for where it can go with the new chapel and Welcome Center, which unfortunately had to carry over into where the track now is. This is the largest space that makes sense for building a track.”
The construction will further establish the west side of campus as Taylor’s athletic facility, Cocking said.
The new track construction will benefit student athletes by reducing joint stress caused by contact with the old, harder track, Gay said.
“The big benefit is from a training perspective,” Gay said. “You’re just not going to see the wear and tear that we see on the current track now. We get things like shin splints, knee pain, hip stuff – nothing that would be chronic, but it just leads to issues that you have to program around.”
The new track won’t lead to faster times immediately, but athlete training will increase in quality as coaches will no longer have to program around injuries, Gay said.
Track and field athlete and student Hali Dikhtiar also praised the benefits of the new surface.
“The new track will have cushioning, so when you run it’s easier on your back, so you recover faster,” Dikhtiar said. “And it helps with your form. It’s genuinely better, and you recover faster on softer surfaces than on hard concrete.”
The track will be built by contractor Michael Kinder and Son (MKS), the same company that renovated Nussbaum in the summer of 2024, according to their website, which can be found at kinderandsons.com
The track will be built with a three step process of preparing the ground, paving the track with asphalt and laying the track surface above the asphalt, typically a mixture of asphalt and rubber. This mixture creates a modern rubberized surface. Taylor is still deciding precisely which mixture they prefer, Cocking said.
Taylor plans to break ground on the project in the spring of 2026 and fully operating by spring 2027’s track and field season, Cocking said.
Dikhtiar hopes Taylor will once more be able to resume its role as a welcoming campus for other athletes after the construction ends.
“My biggest hope is that the track will be standardized so we can host meets,” Dikhtiar said. “It will be easier for us to prepare for those meets on a standardized track and I hope my performance will be better.”
