A legendary women’s coach at Trinity College returned to campus on Saturday, April 13, to celebrate the expansion of the George M. Ferris Athletic Center, the first significant work on the structure in more than half a century.
Even just a few years after the Ferris Athletic Center opened in 1968, the College needed to rethink its use because of the addition of women’s teams, said Robin L. Sheppard M’76, professor of physical education, emerita, and a pioneer of women’s athletics at Trinity.
Construction on the $30.1 million Wellness and Recreation Center addition began in early 2024. The progress served as a backdrop to the beam-signing ceremony led by Sheppard.
“This is a project that will benefit every Trinity student and will enhance our new College curriculum Trinity Plus,” said Sheppard, former associate director of athletics and the longtime coach of women’s lacrosse and field hockey, as well as coach of women’s basketball during its founding year. “It will also enable team coaches to have a home that is befitting of their dedication and their accomplishments.”
Peter S. Duncan ’81, P’13, ’14, co-chair of the Athletics Campaign Committee with Elissa Raether Kovas ’93, P’25, agreed. Duncan shared the long list of recent honors to celebrate what student-athletes and coaches accomplished even without an upgraded facility.
Among the recent accomplishments noted by Duncan: women’s squash won the College Squash Association national title, men’s ice hockey was NESCAC champion and runner-up in the national championship, men’s basketball reached the NCAA Final Four with a NESCAC title and 30–2 season, men’s squash finished as national runners-up for the second straight season, women’s basketball reached the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, and football won its second consecutive NESCAC championship and fifth in the last seven seasons.
Additionally, women’s ice hockey, field hockey, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, and men’s golf were nationally ranked.
Equal to the student-athletes’ success in competition is their success in the classroom, said Drew Galbraith, director of athletics and chair of physical education at Trinity. The collective GPA of the sophomore student-athletes in attendance is over 3.5, he noted.
Sarah Kenney ’26, women’s soccer, and Henry Vetter ’26, men’s basketball, represented the 700 student-athletes across 30 varsity sports at Trinity and expressed gratitude for the generosity of alumni and friends during the ceremony.
The expansion is important for individual athletes as well as teams, noted Kenney, explaining the challenge of attending studio classes such as yoga off campus because they are not currently available on campus due to space limitations.
The facility will include a new fitness center and a cardio center, a free-weight room, studios for classes, a multipurpose recreation gym, and student gathering spaces. Those communal areas, said Kenney, “will make Ferris feel like place you can go to for more than just a workout.”
The 37,000-square-foot addition to the footprint is located in an area that previously was lawn and will feature an open-air second-floor terrace that will boast expansive views of the playing fields and iconic Chapel.
The day began with a special omen, Sheppard said. Those who play the New York Times word game Wordle learned today’s word was “steel.” She later invited alumni and friends to sign the beam.
“Now, as I look around, I wonder how many collective hours we’ve all spent in this building,” Sheppard said, addressing those attending the tented ceremony, including coaches, athletes, campus administrators, alumni, and members of the Board of Trustees.
“Think about all the practices and competitions, the endless meetings in the Tansill Room, learning a new sport for that .25 physical education credit. And some of us probably had to climb the rope in order to graduate!”
Much of the Ferris Athletic Center—apart from the Trinity Natatorium—has remained the same or experienced only minor renovations even as the number of teams and the size of the coaching staff has increased. The Department of Athletics currently numbers 80 coaches and staff.
The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
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