By Cal Lutheran NewsA dream decades in the making took an important step forward during Homecoming Weekend as California Lutheran University broke ground on a new track and field venue, honoring the university’s athletic legacy and investing in its future.
University leaders, alumni, donors, community partners, coaches and student-athletes gathered to celebrate the milestone and the promise of a dedicated home for generations of Kingsmen and Regals.
“Cal Lutheran has a glorious track and field history,” President John Nunes said. “To do our part in our time, we will also ensure that it has a glorious track and field future.”
The new venue will complete Cal Lutheran’s NCAA Division III athletics complex, giving student-athletes a place on campus to train, compete and bond. It also creates an opportunity for the university to serve as a regional training site ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
By investing in the future of Track and Field, you can help build a lasting legacy at Cal Lutheran, where future Kingsmen and Regals will chase personal bests, break records and discover what they can achieve.
Support Cal Lutheran Track and Field
A Home for the Next Generation
While currently practicing off campus at a nearby high school, Cal Lutheran’s track and field athletes have continued to achieve success. An on-campus venue will give athletes greater opportunities to train together, build team spirit and support one another.
“In all my years being associated with Cal Lutheran track and field, a constant message we have had within the team is that this team is a family,” head coach Brett Halvaks ’11, TC ’12, told the audience. “This track and field facility will allow our family to have a home.” The venue will also support recruitment and strengthen connections between current athletes and the alumni whose accomplishments helped establish the program’s legacy.
Regals track and field captain Niani Jones highlighted the importance of belonging as student-athletes balance the demands of academics and competition. The venue will give teammates a place to encourage one another, navigate challenges together and strengthen their sense of community.
The groundbreaking also offered an opportunity to reflect on the generations of athletes and coaches who have shaped Cal Lutheran track and field. University Regent Eric Berg ’92, a former track and field student-athlete, honored past Cal Lutheran record-setters while highlighting the tradition the new venue will carry forward.
“A 400m track is a way we can understand progress, a way we can understand speed, and a way we can understand ourselves growing,” he said. That progress is measured not only in records and personal bests, but also in the confidence, resilience, friendships and lifelong lessons students gain through athletics.
A Legacy Built Through Generosity
Reaching this milestone has taken vision, collaboration and the generosity of donors and supporters who believe in the future of Cal Lutheran’s student-athletes. Their investment is helping turn a long-held aspiration into a tangible reality.
Yet more work remains. The project still needs additional philanthropic support to complete the track and field venue.
Every gift brings Cal Lutheran closer to realizing this goal, providing student-athletes with a dedicated on-campus facility while supporting recruitment and advancing the university’s proud athletic tradition.
As Cal Lutheran advances its Where Dreams Take Flight campaign, the track and field venue offers alumni, families, friends and community members an opportunity to invest in a legacy that will endure well beyond a single season or graduating class.
The groundbreaking isn’t the finish line. It is a milestone worth celebrating and an invitation to help shape what comes next.
