Members of the Princeton University community gathered at the University’s new Meadows Neighborhood on April 25 to celebrate the dedication of athletics facilities made possible by a series of gifts to the Venture Forward campaign. The new state-of-the-art facilities support the University’s commitment to athletics and recreation. 

The full day of dedications featured five ceremonies with ribbon-cuttings, “chalk talks” with six Princeton head coaches, tours of the Meadows Neighborhood, a convening luncheon, afternoon gatherings with related Athletic Friends Groups and a closing reception.

“In designing this athletic hub, we had the chance to innovate by incorporating elements that support achievement holistically, including sports medicine, nutrition and community-building,” President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83 said at the luncheon. “I’m confident that these new fitness, training and competition spaces will greatly enhance the experience of our student-athletes, their coaches and all who cheer them on.”

The centerpiece of the new athletics hub is the Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse, a 180,000 square-foot complex that includes athletic performance and sports medicine facilities, a student-athlete lounge, team locker rooms and coaches’ offices, and the new Wilkinson Fitness Center that is open to the entire University community. Since opening its doors on Nov. 4, the fieldhouse has been home to Princeton’s varsity squash, tennis, softball and women’s rugby teams as well as a base for numerous club teams and intramural sports. 

“These facilities stand as a testament to Princeton’s investment in the student-athlete and student experience,” said John Mack ’00, the University’s Ford Family Director of Athletics, at the luncheon. “They will continue to inspire future generations of Princeton students as they strive to achieve, serve and lead, and we thank everyone who had a hand in making this possible.

The morning began with the dedication of the Si Qin Family Indoor Tennis Center, named in honor of a gift from Si Qin. Located within the Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse, the new indoor facility has nine courts. It is located alongside the nine outdoor courts that make up the Cordish Family Outdoor Tennis Center on the east side of the building.

“This new tennis facility is more than a place for our players to practice and compete,” said Katie Callow-Wright, executive vice president of Princeton University. “It is where they build resilience, healthy habits and friendships. Here they learn lessons of teamwork and leadership that will carry them well into their careers and lives after Princeton. Si Qin and Lina, we are deeply grateful for your commitment to the Tennis program, our student-athletes, and our campus community.”

“Over the past six years, we have observed the entire process of this project, from the start of construction to its completion and dedication,” Si Qin’s wife, Lina Zha, said at the dedication. “Today, we are witnessing this glorious, historical moment, which is the pride and dream of our family.”

The second ribbon-cutting of the day celebrated the Wilkinson Fitness Center, named in honor of a gift from Beth A. Wilkinson ’84. Located within the Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse, the fitness center adds more than 9,000 square feet of workout space, a fitness studio and a locker room to Princeton’s recreation footprint and is open to all students and members of the University community. 

“This impressive space helps advance the University’s commitment to well-being as our student population grows and as our campus evolves,” Callow-Wright said. “Here, our championship-winning varsity teams train under the same roof as fellow students pursuing their personal fitness goals.”

“I feel quite emotional, because we are three generations of Princetonians,” said Wilkinson, who was joined at the dedication by her husband and daughter. “This is for my dad. [Robert Wilkinson] was Class of 1961 and a very poor kid from South Jersey who came here on a Navy scholarship — and I believe we are the only father-daughter ROTC grads in the history of Princeton. He died last fall, and he’d be shocked [to see all this.]”

In the first series of “chalk talks” after the Wilkinson Fitness Center dedications, softball head coach Lisa Van Ackeren spoke about the vision driving her championship program, while women’s rugby head coach Josie Ziluca described what went into transitioning the club program to varsity.

"Chalk talks” throughout the day featured six Princeton head coaches. Shown here (from left) are softball head coach Lisa Van Ackeren, women’s rugby head coach Josie Ziluca and Brendan Van Ackeran, associate director of Athletics.

Photo by

Kevin Birch

The festivities shifted outdoors for the third ribbon-cutting, dedicating the new Cynthia Lynn Paul ’94 Field, a gift from Paul and her husband, Scott Levy. On March 22, Paul threw out the first pitch on opening day and went on to watch the Tigers earn their first doubleheader shutout sweep of Harvard since 1996. The softball field features synthetic turf, stadium seating for 300 spectators, a press box and concourse, batting cages, lights for night games and a new scoreboard. 

“As a member of the softball team that won the 1991 Ivy League Championship, Cynthia helped establish Princeton’s winning tradition in the sport,” Callow-Wright said. “Now, with her gift to name Cynthia Lynn Paul ’94 Field, the first Princeton athletics venue named for and by a female alum, Cynthia will help Princeton continue this legacy for many years.”

Speaking at the field’s dedication, Paul said, “You can see how amazing this field is. Every detail that you would want is here. So, I am grateful to the softball program for my friends and experiences, for the lessons I learned on and off the field, and I’m honored to be a small part of giving current and future student-athletes this opportunity as part of their Princeton education, which is life altering.”

Below Cynthia Paul ’94 Field and other Meadows field spaces are stormwater management systems and 500 geo-exchange bores that advance the University’s sustainability goal of carbon neutrality by 2046. The geo-exchange bores are part of a thermal-energy network, connected by the central utility building (CUB), a single-story structure near the parking garage that uses stored water to heat and cool the entire Meadows Neighborhood. 

At the dedication luncheon, University Architect Ron McCoy *80 detailed the evolution of the athletic facilities and reflected on the historical significance of campus recreation in fostering a shared identity. President Eisgruber highlighted Princeton’s 551 Ivy League championships and 228 national titles to emphasize Princeton’s long-standing athletic traditions. 

“We are excited about the role that athletics gets to play as the University has expanded its footprint across Lake Carnegie into the Meadows Neighborhood,” Mack said at the luncheon. “And we are appreciative of the generous alumni who helped launch this next phase of Princeton athletics and campus recreation. It makes me proud to be in a place that continues to devote resources and intentionality to the overall experience of this campus community.”

“In designing this athletic hub, we had the chance to innovate by incorporating elements that support achievement holistically, including sports medicine, nutrition and community-building,” said President Christopher L. Eisgruber ’83, shown here listening to fellow speakers at the dedication luncheon. Beth A. Wilkinson ’84, whose gift named the Wilkinson Fitness Center, is seated next to him.

Photo by Princeton University; Advancement; Steven Freeman (2025)

After the luncheon program, attendees ventured to the new Haaga House for the fourth ribbon-cutting of the day. Home to Princeton’s rugby teams, Haaga House has been reimagined in its new Meadows Neighborhood location overlooking a new Rickerson Field. Named for a previous gift from Heather and Paul Haaga ’70, the new facility includes locker rooms, shower facilities, team rooms, athletic medicine room, public restrooms and a portico for public viewing. Along with the new Haaga House and Rickerson Field, the new dedications included the Christopher and Angie Long Family Gallery, the Class of 1979 Portico, the Larrimer Locker Room, the Pirelli Porch and the Women’s Rugby Team Room named in honor of the 1995 and 1996 national champion teams.

“Princeton rugby is a place where so many students have come to campus as individuals and they have found a home.” Mack said. “They have found a community, they have found a place that adds so much meaning to their lives as students here, and it is worth celebrating that impact and knowing that we have people in our rugby alumni community who are committed to ensuring that future generations of Princeton student-athletes and Princeton rugby players have that same life changing opportunity. We’re so grateful to everyone who made these beautiful facilities possible.”

In the second series of concurrent “chalk talks,” the women’s tennis head coach Elizabeth Johnson, men’s tennis head coach Billy Pate, women’s squash head coach Gail Ramsay and Sean Wilkinson, the Robert W. Callahan ’77 Head Coach of Men’s Squash, discussed the profound impact the new facility is having on their programs, especially in how the teams are able to practice and compete.

The day’s final ribbon-cutting celebrated the squash facilities within the Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse where guests helped dedicate 14 new squash courts. Along with two glass-walled exhibition spaces with stadium seating, known as the “Coaches’ Courts,” the new dedications include the Class of 1977, 1978 and 1979 Men’s National Championship Court; the 1998 and 1999 Women’s National Championship Court; the 1981 and 1982 Men’s National Championship Court; and the Feeley Family Court named in honor of Caroline Feeley ’14 and Kate Feeley ’19. In the new squash facilities, spectators can view multiple matches at once by taking advantage of the upper-level walkway that spans the length of the squash complex or watch from the ground-level gallery in front of each court. 

“I’m so happy that our squash programs now have a home that is befitting the long legacy and tradition of success of our squash programs,” Mack said. “We are so grateful to everyone who’s made this beautiful facility possible, a facility that I’m proud to say is among — if not the best — squash facilities in the country. When you see opposing teams and coaches come in, they are awestruck with the home of Princeton squash.” 

At the dedication, Kristen Callahan, widow of Bob Callahan ’77, Princeton’s men’s squash coach for 32 years, said, “[Coach Bob] wanted his team and players to win, but always with grace and honor. Some would say that Bob was as interested in a player’s personal development as he was in a player’s athletic development. Good sportsmanship was his hallmark.” The Callahans’ five sons stood beside her as she spoke, and the Callahan family, including 13 grandchildren, were present in the audience.

A series of gatherings of Athletics Friends Groups for softball, rugby, tennis and squash took the celebration through midafternoon. The day-long celebration culminated in a reception in the Racquet and Recreation Fieldhouse for all attendees, student-athletes, staff and some members of the campus community. 

For a complete listing of all the new named spaces and facilities at the Meadows Neighborhood, visit the Athletics website

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Photo by Princeton University; Advancement; Steven Freeman (2025)