New Cornell College athletics facility bolsters recruiting

MOUNT VERNON — Cornell College hired Dan Pifer to bring a new look to the football program.

He is in his second full season and has been at the helm since January of 2020. The roster has grown to the mid-80s with good-sized recruiting classes the last two years.

A renovated training facility will help the Rams’ football program and the rest of the school’s athletics teams.

“It’s huge,” Pifer said. “We’re on the same page as a lot of other schools now.

“It’s up to date and modern. It’s already taking shape in recruiting. We already have more interest early in recruiting than we probably had in the past now that it’s built and they can see it. There are pictures and they’re excited to come see it in person.”

Cornell offered a look at the upgrades to the public Friday as part of Homecoming weekend, which includes a Midwest Conference football game against Monmouth (Ill.) College at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s awesome to have,” Rams senior defensive lineman Landon Lockington during the team’s media day. “It gives everybody the extra push. We just got this nice new facility. We want to make sure we use it and take advantage of what we can while we have it here.”

Members of the school, community and supporters were invited to a dedication of the improved Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center, which is nicknamed “The SAW” — appropriate for the work expected to be done in the addition.

“The best part of the new facility is the flexibility we have to serve the entire campus community,” Cornell interim athletics director Jeff Meeker said in a news release. “Our athletes are certainly excited about this, and everyone who walks into the door can’t believe how nice it is, how big it is, how many different spaces we have, and it’s going to benefit not just Cornell athletics but the campus, in general.”

The campaign was publicly launched in February of last year. Construction took about 18 months with a $20.5 million price tag that included 29,000 square feet of space to renovations to the previous Small Multi-Sport Center.

The amenities include a larger weight room and cardio area with better and more diverse equipment, a turf area for agility training, new training rooms to treat student-athletes, an expanded lobby that is flooded with natural light and trophy cases to highlight the school’s history and improved locker rooms and offices.

Pifer has witnessed facility upgrades at two previous stops. He praised the decision with the cardio room on a level above the weight and turf area, allowing students and rehabbing athletes to work out while teams train without the congestion.

“I thought that was a great move on their part,” Pifer said. “It’s a pretty clever design. You can move people around and not everything has to be done in the weight room.”

The larger training space allows for football players to work out in larger groups, pushing each other and sharing in personal feats instead of hearing of it later. Pifer said that can help team unity and enhance players’ bonds.

“Being able to have the whole team there, it’s easier to cheer on each other and pick everyone up,” Lockington said. “You can keep everyone accountable a lot easier than just having one group in at a time. Instead of having this guy here and this guy here, we can have everyone there at once and watch everyone to make sure they are doing their job when they need to be.”

The Rams used to need three sessions a day at times — 6 a.m., 3 and 4 p.m. Coaches can save an hour or two and devote that time to other necessary duties.

“Now, you can spend time watching film, recruiting or whatever,” Pifer said. “It’s more efficient for the coaches.”

The Rams are 2-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference, hosting the conference title contending Scots (5-1, 5-0). Cornell will host four of its last four games at Van Metre Field at Ash Park with a new view of the window facade of a completed training facility project.

“They play good football,” Pifer said of Monmouth. “They don’t beat themselves. We have to play well to have a chance to go out there and compete with them. We just have to improve every week and see what happens.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com