New Surface to Be Installed at Ocker Field Hockey Field
5/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With $500,000 raised by friends and alumni of the University of Michigan field hockey program, Phyllis Ocker Field, home of the U-M field hockey team since 1995, will receive a new surface for the 2003 campaign, head coach Marcia Pankratz announced Monday (May 12).
The surface, AstroTurf 1200, manufactured by SRI Sports, is replacing the original turf installed when Ocker Field (pronounced OAK-er) was constructed in 1995. The project is scheduled to begin this week, with the installation completed by early June.
"It was time for a new turf," Pankratz said. "The one that's in now was installed in 1995, and the life of that particular surface is at its end. Being a team that's one of the best in the nation, we wanted to get a state-of-the-art surface that matches our capability, and we wanted to get a surface that's not as bouncy and is a little bit faster. We've got one of the fastest teams in the country so we wanted a surface that complements our style of play."
AstroTurf 1200 has become the preferred surface around the world for field hockey and was recently installed at the U.S. Field Hockey National team's practice facility in Virginia Beach, Va., which is the site of the 2003 NCAA Field Hockey Championship.
The Wolverines will debut their new surface on Sunday, Aug. 31, when they host North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge to open the 2003 season.
Ocker Field Facilities Page
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
