During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Liberty University Natatorium on Jan. 26, Jake Shellenberger, head coach of Liberty’s NCAA Division I women’s swimming & diving team, called the facility “a dream come true.”
“You would be hard-pressed to find a pool, at least on the East Coast, of finer quality,” he said. “It’s a top-five facility — in the entire country.”
Following the ceremony, President Jerry Falwell got in on the fun by taking a feet-first plunge off the 10-meter platform.
The natatorium features a nine-lane, 50-meter pool with a moveable bulkhead that can divide it into two, 25-yard pools for short-course competition. It has a separate 17-foot-deep diving well with a full tower featuring 1- and 3-meter springboards and 1-, 3-, 5-, 7.5-, and 10-meter platforms. In addition to team locker rooms, there is a room for swimmers to warm up, next to the starting blocks, and a 43-by-14 videoboard for instant replays and live times and team scores. Wraparound stands bring seating capacity to over 1,400.
Club Sports teams will also train and compete in the natatorium, including men’s swimming & diving, men’s and women’s triathlon, and men’s water polo (to debut next fall).
