TOPPING OFF CEREMONY
Head Coach Rick Croy, Head Coach Jarrod Olson, Director of Athletics Dr. Micah Parker
With most of the infrastructure complete on California Baptist University’s new Event Center Sundt Construction celebrated with CBU at the Topping Out Ceremony this past June. In building construction, topping out (or topping off) is a ritual traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction.
CBU President Dr. Ronald Ellis, university dignitaries, CBU Director of Athletics Dr. Micah Parker, men’s and women’s basketball coaches and other CBU staff members came out to the construction site to sign the final beam before it was hoisted into the air.
“[It is] truly a wow day celebrating a wow building,” said Dr. Ellis at the construction site.
“It is humbling to stand in the middle of the Event Center and think about all the great things that are going to happen there,” said Dr. Parker. “So many people are working to make this a special place that will serve our students well and allow us to showcase great student-athletes to the Inland Empire community.”
The multi-use events center is scheduled to open in the spring of 2017 and will become the school’s largest indoor gathering space to serve a variety of campus activities, including sporting events, chapel and graduation ceremonies. Construction continues on through the summer and into the fall. The events center is being built adjacent to the CBU Recreation Center located in Lancer Plaza near the corner of Adams Street and Diana Avenue. The center’s north-facing front entrance will be located on Lancer Lane.
The centerpiece of the 153,000 square feet building will be a 5,050 seat arena—expandable to more than 6,000 seats—that will showcase some of the CBU athletics teams competing in the PacWest Conference and NCAA Division II. These include men’s and women’s basketball, wrestling, and men’s and women’s volleyball. The building also will feature locker rooms for home and visiting teams, as well as new athletics offices.
The two-level events center is designed to complement the Mission Revival architecture style that is a hallmark of the CBU campus. A 100-foot tower will adorn the building’s north side.