Construction of the Wallach Sports Performance and Lacrosse Center was completed in August after a year of development. The building, housed in Lafayette College’s athletic campus, is the new home for the college’s lacrosse programs.
The 21,900-square-foot, two-story facility was a gift from Andrew Wallach ‘95 and Dina Wallach ‘95 and features a weight room, locker rooms, a room dedicated to watching film, lounge areas and offices for coaches. A fueling station that provides snacks and drinks and a new lighted turf practice field were also installed.
Director of Athletics Sherryta Freeman wrote in an email that she was “thrilled” to have the center open.
“From day one, our goal was to create a first-class environment for both student-athletes and staff,” she wrote. “We believe we’ve accomplished that.”
“We’re just feeling incredibly supported and very grateful for the opportunity to have a world-class facility,” men’s lacrosse head coach Patrick Myers said. “The guys really are not taking that for granted.”
Previously, both teams practiced at Fisher Stadium, which Myers said was “challenging from a scheduling perspective.”
Though the facility offers a multitude of resources to the team, Myers said that the dedicated space and the improvement to time management were “probably the biggest.”
Costs for construction were estimated at $10 million when the project was first announced, $2 million of which was contributed by the F.M. Kirby Foundation, a frequent donor to the college. Although construction was supposed to take place at the current site of the Maroon Club Strength Center, the project was moved to Metzgar as part of the campus master plan.
While Freeman did not comment on the details of the plan, she emphasized the importance of the facility for recruiting new players.
“In today’s recruiting landscape, prospective student-athletes seek programs that invest in their development both on and off the field,” Freeman wrote. This facility is a tangible example of that investment and will play a key role in both attracting top talent and retaining current players who value a high-performance environment.”
The men’s lacrosse team is coming off a successful 2025 campaign in which it won its first Patriot League tournament game in program history. The women’s team will attempt to make the tournament for the first time in its history.
A dedication ceremony will be held at the facility on Sept. 20 with an official ribbon cutting.