After defeating Oklahoma State 14-5 last Friday, the Fresno State equestrian team celebrated the grand opening of its new Equestrian Center. Located at the the Student Horse Center, the new Equestrian Center will house offices, locker rooms and even a laundry room for the team.
Before the ribbon cutting ceremony, the equestrian team held a pre-ceremony mixer where guests were invited to mix and mingle with the student athletes and get to know them. The pre-ceremony mixer offered light refreshments for those in attendance.
The ceremony took place after 4 p.m. with Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development Tim Collins making the opening remarks. Fresno State President Dr. Joseph I. Castro and Director of Athletics Terry Tumey also spoke to the students during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Tumey spoke about how the facility took longer to complete than anticipated but was something a lot of people worked hard on to complete. Castro told those in attendance that he was proud of the student athletes because they held good grades while being at the top of their competition.
After Castro was done speaking, he invited the team captains Nicole Campbell, Erica Rosinski and Shea Gilson, along with head coach Eric Hubbard to come up and, along with Tumey, cut the ribbon celebrating the grand opening of the facility.
The Equestrian Center consists of a reception area and several offices that will house the coaching staff members, as well as a laundry room for students to wash and clean their equipment and uniforms.
The most anticipated part for many was the brand new locker room for the team, which consisted of individual lockers with name plates and private drawers that locked.
Another part of the locker room that was a big hit with the athletes was the showers and bathrooms just feet away from their lockers.
Rosinski said that the team had been waiting a long time for this and that everyone was excited to finally see the new locker room.
“This was like christmas morning … you’re very excited to open up your present and see what’s inside and honestly, it did not disappoint,” Rosinski said. “We are very thankful and very blessed to be able to have this.”
Hubbard said that even though it took a long time to get here, this facility not only helps them with private offices, but also as a recruitment tool for the program.
“It’s taken a long time to get here, and we’re excited for it, and we’re thankful for it,” Hubbard said. “[The office] is more private. We can have a one-on-one conversation with a student athletes … being able to have these offices is just fantastic.”
