Griz Announce Upgrades to UM Women’s Locker Room Facilities

It sounds like some good things are going to happen to 6,655 square feet of space at the University of Montana, catching up after COVID delays.

UM Sports Information Director Eric Taber shared with us that all nine of the University of Montana's women's sports programs are set to receive a new, state-of-the-art home with the fundraising stage of the third and final phase of the Grizzly Athletic Facilities Master Plan underway. The Grizzly Women's Locker Room Improvement Project will provide new and expanded locker room, lounge, and meeting space for the Montana women's basketball and volleyball programs, while also providing new locker facilities for UM's female Olympic sports and staff.

The $2 million facility completes the master plan developed and approved by the Montana Board of Regents in May 2019. Funding for the project will come entirely from private support, and construction will begin when finances are in place and authority granted by the Board of Regents.

The first phase of the Grizzly Athletic Facilities Master Plan took shape in October, 2017, with the opening of the Washington-Grizzly Champions Center, a 51,000 square-foot athletic facility for all student-athletes that includes team meeting rooms, a football locker room, the Jared and Maile Losing Nutrition Center and a 19,400 square-foot strength and conditioning center.

Phase II of the master plan was delayed one year by the pandemic, but is now currently under construction and features a new men's basketball locker area, men's and women's basketball meeting room and lounge facility. The $2 million project also includes a new home for the Hackney Athletic Equipment Center, re-purposing the vacated space from the previous football weight room and football locker room. Thus, Phase III of the project will take advantage of the space vacated by the equipment center, giving Montana's women's programs some of the best facilities in the Western U.S.

Just a quick breakout by the numbers:

Montana Women’s Locker Room Improvement Project Facts

Basketball Locker Room         1,355 sq. feet

Volleyball Locker Room          1,325 sq. feet

Olympic Sport Locker Room   1,030 sq. feet

Basketball Lounge                   650 sq. feet

Volleyball Lounge                    615 sq. feet

Meeting Room                        465 sq. feet

Staff Locker Room                   765 sq. feet

Storage                                    450 sq. feet

Total                                       6,655 sq. feet