If you have walked through the Luce Center recently, you may have noticed a few changes. As you walk through the front door, the statue of the eagle that has long stood in the front of the Luce Center now stands even more prominently, ensuring that the eagle is the first thing that everyone sees upon entering the Luce.
As you walk past the front desk, you’ll find that the trophy case that once rested on the back wall has been replaced by a vibrant 82-inch flatscreen TV that constantly shows highlights and achievements from all 16 Asbury varsity sports.
Walking down the long hallway, you may notice that the once-crammed weight room has been replaced by a spacious training room where athletes now have more room to rehabilitate and get treated for injury.
Finally, next door to the training room stands the new weight room. As you walk through the door you instantly notice that the weight room is nearly four times bigger than the old one. Both old and new equipment are spread throughout the large room, ensuring that everyone has enough space to do their workouts.
These changes that you saw to the Luce Center were made to help fulfill the vision that Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Mark Whitworth has for Asbury Eagles.
“We are really trying to build the Asbury Eagle brand,” said Whitworth. “We wanted to take a nondescript facility and make it brand aware, and build a facility that reflects pride in being an Asbury Eagle.” While these changes to the Luce are significant, this does not mean that this is the end of the Luce renovations.
According to Whitworth, one of the ideas the Athletic Department is seriously considering is converting one of the indoor racquetball courts into an indoor golf practice area. “Our golf team really does not have anywhere to practice on campus,” said Whitworth. “We would love to create a couple of hitting bays and putting areas to especially help the team in the winter months.”
