Woolpert Designing Dedicated Wrestling Facility for Jennings County School Corporation

NORTH VERNON, Ind. — The Jennings County School Corporation (JCSC) has contracted with Woolpert to design a 23,700-square-foot wrestling addition the Jennings County High School gymnasium in North Vernon, Ind. The first-class facility will be dedicated to the district’s wrestling program. It will be connected on the south side of the gym by a corridor that is adjacent to the weight room. 

The facility will seat 785, house two locker rooms and include a large equipment storage area with a garage door for easy access. It also will have an office for the wrestling coach, complete with its own shower, restroom, changing area and closet. The addition will have a maple hardwood floor with a vapor barrier, replacing the concrete floor the teams wrestled on previously, and the exterior will match the existing building.

Woolpert Team Leader Todd Ford said this dedicated wrestling facility will meet the needs of the popular JCSC wrestling program, supporting its high volume of participants and fans, as well as its equipment needs.

“In the past, there have been mats stored in multiple locations across the district—including school hallways,” Ford said. “Also, transporting these heavy wrestling mats up and down the bleachers in the two-tiered main gym and between the schools has been a huge challenge logistically.”

Ford said this addition will give the district one permanent, centralized wrestling site. It also will provide a high-level facility for practices, matches and hosting tournaments, which can generate revenue for the program and the district.

Jennings County High School Wrestling Coach Howard Jones said the facility will benefit wrestlers from preschool through high school.

“This is a state-of-the-art facility that will allow the students who wrestle to experience ownership and pride,” Jones said. “It is a facility that will offer more opportunities at all levels of our wrestling program and to our community.”

Superintendent Teresa Brown said the district is excited to provide this first-rate facility for its students and coaches.

“Our wrestling program has been exemplary for decades,” Brown said. “We can’t wait to hang our championship banners in our new wrestling home.”

This project is the latest effort in the JCSC’s master plan to update its athletic facilities. Woolpert also is working with the district to upgrade its softball and baseball fields, as well as its tennis courts.

Construction on the wrestling facility is projected to begin in early 2020, with the target of hosting its first meet for the 2020-21 season.

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