“UWF has always been a place for big dreamers, but those dreams would never have been achieved without the steady support of our community and the dedication of our employees,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “Today, we are one step closer to providing our student-athletes with the best possible care, thanks to some special individuals who believe in the dream of the Sandy Sansing Sports Medicine Center.”
The Sandy Sansing Sports Medicine Center will include a new treatment space, a new rehabilitation and physical therapy area, hydrotherapy areas and physician exam rooms for student-athletes. UWF athletics worked with the Andrews Institute for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine on the design and required spaces within the facility for student-athletes and coaches.
The addition will also open office space for coaches to meet, recruit and plan. The project will also open up other spaces that will include an academic center that will house a new computer lab, tutoring rooms and offices for staff and student-athlete enrichment.
“Over the past few years our teams have grown, won and excelled at a speed that far exceeded our facilities,” said UWF athletics director Dave Scott. “This is a necessary addition to our campus footprint and will ensure future success for our athletes, coaches and trainers.”
Sandy Sansing ’69, CEO of Sandy Sansing Automotive, Peggy Sansing and the Sansing Foundation were recognized at the ceremony for their gift commitment of more than $600,000 to the center and student-athlete scholarships.
“As a graduate of UWF and a former student-athlete, I am excited to help make this facility happen for current and future Argonauts,” Sansing said. “To be able to follow our university and our athletic program and help them add state-of-the-art facilities and continue to grow and improve is something that my family and I are excited about. We hope this new center helps the health and wellness of all our future Argos and continues to help the University build champions for life.
Darrell Gooden ’73; dr. Judy Bense, UWF President Emeritus; Eric and Peg ’81, ’03 Nickelsen; Rodney ’91 and Amy ’98 Sutton; Joe and Maggie Ambersley; Jason ’04, ’10 and Heather Crawford; Stephen ’81 and Mona ’79 Wright; and Rick Fountain ’70, dean of the College of Business and are also thanked for their generous support to help bring this project to fruition.
The center is expected to take 18 months to build.
For more information about UWF athletics, visit goargos.com.