Last Thursday, York College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, unveiled its new $8.1 million track and field facility in Jamaica, Queens. Located at 160th Street between Liberty Avenue and Tuskegee Airmen Way, the facility is an NCAA-standard 400-meter track and soccer field, and includes an infield designed for long jumping, pole vaulting, shot putting, the discus, javelin, and hammer throwing.
“[This is] the first and only National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA-level facility in Southeast Queens,” said Claudia Schrader, York interim president. “This has been a three-president relay project.” The endeavor took approximately 17 years to complete, starting under former President Marcia Keizs and continued under the leadership of President Berenecea Johnson Eanes, who in January assumed the position of president of Cal State Los Angeles, the school’s first ever woman president.
“For more than a decade, the facility was padlocked because inferior construction led to massive sinkholes leaving students with no place to train,” Schrader said to those assembled to take part in the ceremony to formally present the facility. Among the dignitaries in attendance were Donovan Richards, Queens Borough president, and Adrienne Adams, Speaker of the New York City Council, who represents District 28, home to York College.
“Your commitment has been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition,” she said.
“Stars like Dalilah Muhammad out of Rochdale Village started right here in Southeast Queens and went on to win medals and to break world records,” Adams said, referencing the two-time Olympic gold medal winner in 400-meter hurdles (2016 Rio Olympics) and the 4×400 meter relay (2020 Tokyo Olympics).
“Just (last) week we saw 21-year-old Lauren Scruggs from Ozone Park earn a silver medal in fencing, becoming the first Black woman athlete to accomplish this feat for Team USA,” said Adams. “This is homegrown talent. Future star athletes will get their start on this very track and field and they too will emerge on the world stage proudly representing us in Queens.”
There will be further additions to the field.
“By 2025 we are going to have a scoreboard and other things here,” CUNY Executive Vice Chancellor and COO Hector Batista said.
The York student athletes also voiced their appreciation for a venue that will enhance their experiences.
“I don’t know where to start. All the emotions York has made me feel are unexplainable,” said Emelin Cajamarca, a member of York’s soccer team and a rising senior majoring in social work. “We didn’t have a certain place to practice and would practice on grass, which is good but now with this unbelievable field we have a great place to call home.”