COLUMBUS, Ohio — Many lacrosse fans have been waiting for the new Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium to officially host its first game. The stadium was in the works for several years, with two former lacrosse players having a hand in building this stadium for future Buckeyes.
What You Need To Know
- The Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium has been in the works since 2018
- Former OSU lacrosse player Regina Doty is the project engineer on the project
- Former OSU lacrosse player Andrew Elmer is the architecture project manager
- The two were able to use their background as players to offer input on the new stadium
Even in her construction boots, Regina Doty makes sure to get some reps in.
“When we first poured the walls, I was out there playing in a hard hat and a high vis vest," she said.
Doty is a project engineer for the construction company that built the stadium. And being on this project meant something extra special to her; she played for the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team and graduated in 2021.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better, honestly," Doty said. "This has been insane. I keep having to pinch myself like how blessed I am that I was able to play here, be an athlete here, intern with Ruscelli construction, and get a position with them afterwards and have this be my very first project, like it doesn’t get any better than that.”
And now as the stadium is nearing completion, she can proudly show off her work from the stands
“I feel like there’s not a bad seat in the house," Doty said.
From the press box and camera deck to her favorite room in the building, the indoor shooting room, Doty was asked for some input from a former athlete's perspective.
“We would sit in on owners' architect’s meetings all the time and they would always ask me ‘is this a good idea Regina? Would you actually use this if you were a player?’” Doty said.
Another Buckeye lacrosse alum had even more input. Andrew Elmer played in 2004 and 2005 and graduated with a degree in architecture, which he is now using as the project manager for the architecture firm on the project.
“It was really exciting just knowing I would get to, as Woody Hayes said, pay it forward to my alma mater and to individuals and to a program that impacted my life in a big way," Elmer said.
Elmer’s experience as a player meant he could give input on what would be best, whether that was the netting behind the goals to keep fans safe or one of his personal favorites, the raised grandstand so everyone could see the action.
“On the concourse, you can see the entire game," Elmer said. "That’s a design element of this facility that I haven’t seen in any other college facilities in general.”
For Doty, she had her hand on a lot of things here, from pouring concrete to laying the turf over the state-of-the-art heating system. Now, she is excited for everyone to enjoy the fruit of her and so many others' labor.
“You can get super close, like literally, the game’s right here," she said.
And she hopes this new stadium will help put OSU lacrosse back on the map.
“I’m so proud of where we’ve come from," Doty said. "I think my coach Amy Bokker has done a great job emphasizing how important it is to develop strong women leaders and I think this has been a perfect example of that. And then further the game not just for lacrosse but for women in sport. I think it’s been a really awesome opportunity to exemplify that.”
The men's team plays the first game in the stadium on Saturday, Feb. 4 against Air Force. The women's team plays its first game on Friday, Feb. 10 against Robert Morris.