Vert Stadium is home to High Point University’s men’s and women’s track & field and soccer programs. It is one of the finest facilities of its kind, with the perfect size and amenities for High Point University college athletics.
Reopened in the spring of 2007, the stadium features seating for 1,100, a press box, a hospitality suite and a concession area. The venue’s Mondoturf artificial turf soccer field was installed in 2011 to replace a natural grass field. Jared Micklos, High Point University assistant athletic director for compliance, said the field’s proven durability was one major reason HPU chose Mondoturf.
With two soccer teams already using Vert Stadium, the university wanted an artificial turf soccer field that could stand up to use by two more teams: a women’s lacrosse program that began play in the fall of 2011 and a men’s lacrosse team that is slated to take the field in 2013.
With two new teams coming online, the High Point University athletic department knew that the new artificial turf soccer pitch would need to stand up to heavy use every season.
Before they selected Mondo, High Point administrators visited other U.S. venues as well as Mondo’s North American headquarters in Laval, Quebec, for an intensive evaluation of Mondo’s and competing manufacturers’ turf products. “Following thorough research, we identified Mondo as an ideal year-round playing surface, and we were convinced that the entire Mondo system is absolutely the best product on the market,” Micklos said.
“Mondo’s research and commitment to developing a surface that combines safety and performance made this a clear choice and an ideal fit for HPU.”
HPU officials chose the Mondo system in part because it would provide the safest practice and playing surface for the university’s athletes.
Among the features that minimize the risk of injuries is the field’s Fine Tuned® Panel underlayment, which is a prefabricated shock pad/drainage system. The underlayment compacts less than traditional systems, so the field’s play and performance characteristics remain consistent throughout the entire surface, ensuring optimal play and true ball bounce while minimizing the risk of injuries to athletes, even if the turf’s infill migrates.
High Point University also wanted to provide its student-athletes with a surface that plays like natural grass, but performs more consistently regardless of weather. Mondo’s state-of-the-art 3NX fiber and Ecofill infill help to meet those goals.
The Mondoturf field’s groundbreaking 3NX fiber has proven core characteristics that allow it to perfectly mimic the response of natural grass, and to do so with outstanding resilience and durability while offering superior player comfort. The 3NX fiber’s translational and rotational friction characteristics lend themselves to easy pivots and turns, even in high-torque scenarios. Ball roll and bounce mimic roll and bounce on natural grass.
The turf system also features Ecofil®, Mondo’s environmentally friendly infill. Ecofil® is a patented, environmentally friendly, factory-manufactured polyolefin-based granule infill that is not made from reground tire pellets. Ecofil® delivers the appropriate amount of shock absorption and energy return for optimal, natural-field–like athletic performance. Completely recyclable, Ecofill is virtually odor free, even in hot, humid conditions, and it retains less heat than traditional black rubber granules, so it reduces the potential for athletic fatigue and dehydration.
HPU coaches were eager to have their teams train and compete on the new surface. Lyndsey Boswell, the women’s lacrosse coach, looked forward to her team being the first to play on the new turf in Vert Stadium. “We are very thankful for the opportunity to start this program playing in such a beautiful facility with the Mondo surface.”
Marty Beall, HPU’s women’s soccer coach, echoed that sentiment. “I’m very excited that High Point University got Mondo’s top-of-the-line artificial turf,” he said. “Vert Stadium is a fantastic stadium for college soccer and our field is one of the best playing surfaces in the country.”
Jon Torpey, who will coach the men’s lacrosse team, said the Mondo field will complement his coaching philosophy. “I’m a huge fan of the consistent and fast play of Mondo artificial turf, and we’ll play a fast-paced, up-and-down game,” he said. “The new surface will benefit our style of play.”
Finally Dustin Fonder, men’s soccer coach, appreciates the extensive research the university conducted before selecting Mondo. “Our administration found the best artificial turf available in the world,” he said. “I wouldn't be surprised if more universities around the country started using this turf with its incredible performance and durability."
Less than a year since the Mondoturf field was installed, Vert Stadium already has garnered an award for construction excellence: In December 2011, the American Sports Builders Association honored the stadium for excellence in sports facility construction.
Vert Stadium won for upgrade of an existing facility in the Distinguished Sports Field, Single Field Facilities division.