Is this track’s most prestigious indoor venue?
Princeton University’s phenomenal Fast Track.
Two US presidents, 12 US Supreme Court Justices and 75 Nobel Laureates.
This is why Princeton University requires little introduction. The Ivy League research institution in New Jersey is the fourth-oldest college in the US and is world-renowned for its academic programme which has produced these notable public figures to name just a few.
A National and Olympic-pedigree sports programme
Its sport programme is equally revered. The Princeton Tigers includes 38 athletics teams spanning 20 sports and the trophy cabinet is decorated with silverware from numerous NCAA National Championships. Princeton teams have won more Ivy League championships than any other school during the last two decades, and several Princeton teams have won national titles.
The women’s track and field team won a combined 18 Ivy League titles for its outdoor and indoor team under legendary coach Peter Farell and the track and field programme has produced notable alumni including the Double Olympic steeple chaser Donn Cabral who made the London 2012 final as part of a 15-strong Princeton athlete contingent. His success built on over a century of Princeton Summer Olympians dating back to the 1896 Athens Olympics.
An indoor track legacy
It is only fitting therefore that Princeton should have the sporting infrastructure to match its sporting heritage and talent. Cue the ambitious L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium. Born from tragedy, it was built in a name of Leander Stockwell Jadwin, the captain of the track team who died in a car accident just months after he graduated with his class of 1928. A generous gift from his mother funded the 6,854-seat multi-purpose arena which has become her son’s astonishing legacy.
“By re-surfacing, the university achieved renewed track flexibility which is good for athlete performance and welfare and gives the track a longer lifespan. This maximises the original investment and is best for the environment.”
The Jadwin Gymnasium today
From its unique roof consisting of three interlocking shells to a combined floorspace, which, at 250,000 square feet, exceeds the total area of eight football fields, the facility is immense. Built across five levels, the sublevels beneath the main grandstand hold one of the largest fencing rooms in the world, 11 international-sized squash courts with spectator galleries and lounge area, six tennis courts and a baseball and softball practice area.
A reimagined track for superior athlete and environmental performance
Beyond the basketball courts, a six-lane, 200m charcoal grey and red track curves around the facility, featuring a straightaway for sprints in the track’s infield. The track was re-surfaced in 2023 with an encapsulated Rekortan RT Fast Track, upgrading the indoor running facilities at Princeton with the latest track technology. By re-surfacing, the university achieved renewed track flexibility which is good for athlete performance and welfare and gives the track a longer lifespan. This maximises the original investment and is best for the environment.
Ivy League excellence demands the very best sport surfaces
Tim Jordan, General Manager of Rekortan US, explains the high bar that is set when partnering with Princeton:
“We are very proud of our relationship with Princeton University alongside our expert installation partner ATT Sports. The Ivy League has a tradition of choosing only the finest and most high performing athletic surfaces for its student athletes. Rekortan track systems deliver the excellence required to meet Princeton’s standards and we are honored to be a part of their continual goal of providing world class athletic facilities for their athletes.”
Trusted and chosen by a mega sporting venue
The track has been the host of countless track and field meets, sharing the arena with both men and women’s basketball, tennis, fencing, squash, and wrestling teams. The indoor facility has hosted professional basketball exhibitions, the US men’s and women’s collegiate squash championships, the women’s NCAA volleyball championships, the NCAA fencing championships and NCAA and EIWA wrestling championships. The sheer variety of sports that are hosted here, roared on by the famous ‘Jadwin Jungle’ student cheering section and captured on the largest video screen of any Ivy League arena, makes The Jadwin Gymnasium a mega sporting venue. Rekortan is proud to play its part.