![]() Kentner Stadium Virtual Tour
|
In 1997, what was once Campus Stadium became Kentner Stadium, named in honor of Jeff Kentner ('78), of Charlotte, NC. Kentner, president and owner of State Street Partners, Inc., made one of the largest gifts to the Touchdown 2000 athletic fund-raising effort.
The multipurpose facility was part of a $55 million construction and renovation plan and is now the permanent home for the Demon Deacon field hockey and track and field teams. In the summer of 2004, Kentner Stadium underwent a multi-million dollar renovation. Field Turf and Ballard Sports installed Astroturf 12 with PVC foam pad on top of Porous Asphalt, making the surface safe for intramural uses and fast for the two-time defending national and ACC champion field hockey team. Also included in the renovation was the addition of six large water cannons and two manual ones, to help maintain the astroturf.
Prior to 1990, the field hockey team competed on the natural grass surface of Polo Field, which now serves as the site of Spry Stadium and the Wake Forest soccer programs.
Over the past 18 years, Kentner Stadium has hosted many events and championships. The most impressive event added to the stadium's resumé came during 1996 when Wake Forest hosted the NCAA Field Hockey Championships. That marked the first time a national title has been determined in a campus facility. North Carolina, James Madison, Maryland and Northeastern all battled for the championship before the Tar Heels came out victorious.
The 1992 and 1993 ACC Field Hockey Tournaments hold the distinction of being the first championship events hosted in the facility, while the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place in 1995. The stadium hosted the ACC Field Hockey Tournament again in 1999, and from 1999-2002, played host to the first two rounds of the NCAA Field Hockey Tournament.
In addition, Kentner Stadium has been the site of the annual Forsyth County Special Olympics and Wake Forest track and field meets.
The Kenneth D. Miller Center for student-athlete enrichment, which opened in the fall of 2001, now overlooks Kentner Stadium. The Miller Center is a 6,000-square foot building which houses a fitness center for the entire campus, as well as training, office and meeting spaces for the University's athletic programs. The state-of-the-art facility features a patio area from which students and faculty can take in a game and the presence of the new building gives the home of the Deacs a more stadium-type feel. Part of Kentner Stadium's appeal is the fact that many Deacon athletic teams can use it for conditioning or practice. The stadium is also used by the Wake Forest Health and Exercise Science Department for its cardiac rehabilitation program three days a week. The department also uses the track for a variety of academic classes, while the intramural office takes advantage of the stadium for football, softball, and other sports.
Students, faculty members, and administrators are also seen frequently using the stadium's track to either run or walk during lunch time or after classes.
The facility houses permanent seating for nearly 4,000 spectators as well as a press box, upper-level viewing area, restrooms, lights, a state-of-the-art scoreboard, and concession facilities.

