Athlete Utilization of Karpus Athletic Center: An Inside Look at How Members of SLU Sports Teams Have Used New Facilities

Many student athletes have been using the new Karpus Athletic Center at Appleton Arena and its amenities. It opened this semester and offers new resources to student-athletes. However, many athletes may not be taking full advantage of all its features due to a lack of communication.  

Tom Ryan, the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team, is grateful for the new facilities, especially since his team finally gets their own locker room. “In previous years, we utilized visiting, like, hockey locker rooms, and so we weren’t really able to even access it, really, until typically around our spring trip,” Ryan said. “So having a locker room now year-round is obviously a huge upgrade for the program.” Other teams, such as softball and field hockey, also have their own locker rooms now.  

The Karpus Athletic Center also has facilities similar to those in the Augsbury Physical Education Center, such as athletic training and recovery centers. Nikki Williams, the associate head athletic trainer at St. Lawrence University, says many athletes use the new facilities, including the new student-athlete lounge. “So, there’s a student athlete lounge, and I see people in there, especially in the afternoons, doing work or hanging out, and that’s pretty popular,” she said.  

Even though the Karpus Athletic Center only has locker rooms for a few teams, the center can be used by all student-athletes on campus. However, many student-athletes are not using the center to its full potential. Coaches like Ryan have noticed this. “There probably is still some student athletes that are not taking advantage of it,” he said. “I mean, granted, you might not; if you don’t have a reason to be over there, you might not just go over there to hang out.”  

Several student-athletes recognize that they are not fully utilizing the Karpus Athletic Center. However, it may be due to a lack of communication. Cyrus Goetze, ’28, a member of the cross country and track teams, admitted to knowing little about the center. “I am aware that there is a weight room,” he said. “I was aware when it opened they had a bunch of stuff for that, but I have not actually been in Karpus at this moment.”  

Student-athletes, like Goetze, also choose to stay in the Augsbury Physical Education Center for the sake of convenience.  “What makes Karpus unique enough to make a longer walk there, when I could just go with a shorter walk to the normal weight room,” Goetze said. He also stated that he was unaware of the other facilities in the Karpus Athletic Center, such as the player lounge and media room.  

Goetze is not the only student-athlete to stay in Augsbury for convenience. Another athlete, Ben Roach ’25, has made similar statements. “Having our locker room in the same building as the normal weight room and training facility just makes it, you know, a little bit more convenient to go there,” he said. “As opposed to leaving the building and over toward Appleton when Karpus is.”  

It is worth noting that not all student athletes feel this way. According to Roach, many students appreciate the new facility. “I know plenty of people who really do enjoy the Karpus Center,” he said. “Especially the teams who have new locker rooms over there.”