In April 2022, it was announced that Kent State’s Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, affectionately known as the MACC, would get a long-requested facelift. It has been almost two years since the announcement was made, but in reality this news was a long time coming: the upgrade was originally requested over a decade ago. Through significant fundraising, and strong support from Athletic Director Randale Richmond, plans began to take shape for the renovated gym in 2023.
The more often the topic of a renovated gym came up in athletic department meetings, the more those in decision-making positions recognized that, according to Associate Head Coach Craig Ballard, “if we’re going to do this we just have to do it once and do it right.” That included digging for an in-ground pit, deciding between potential layouts, as well as a fresh coat of white paint. Staying true to the saying “measure twice, cut once,” the detailed planning made the physical renovations much easier – the work was done, from start to finish, during the summer of 2023. Ballard added that, as summer training clinics crept closer and closer, the workers “probably got annoyed with us popping in every day and [asking] ‘hey, what’s going on today? Where are we at?’” With only two…
