The long-awaited completion of the Ensley Athletic Center came in December after seven months of construction.

Plans for the indoor practice facility, which is located near Manley Field House, the outdoor practice fields and SU Soccer Stadium, were announced in February 2013. The building — which was projected to cost $17 million when the plans were first announced — is named after Cliff Ensley, a three-sport SU athlete in the late 1960s who donated to the project.

While the Syracuse football program is the primary tenant of the new facility, four months into its existence, the Ensley Athletic Center has strengthened recruiting pitches and provided improvements for other athletic programs that no longer have to compromise their indoor practices on Manley Field House’s smaller turf field.

Football

In Manley Field House, there was only room for one unit to use the field at once. The Syracuse defense would have to wait while the offense used the field, and vice versa.

But having a full 100 yards to work with in the Ensley Athletic Center has completely transformed SU’s practices.

“Split the field in half, just do your thing and then come together,” wide receiver Ben Lewis said. “It makes practice a lot more efficient. It’s a lot easier to work on your technique when you have actual space to do it.”

In addition to the practice enhancements, there are two sidelines cameras near the 40-yard line and two end zone cameras, head coach Scott Shafer said. They offer a better, higher view of the end zone, resemble an NFL video system and can be operated remotely from Manley Field House.

“Everybody’s been real pleased with the logistical makeup of how it’s worked out,” Shafer said. “It’s a pretty cool system.”

Having the Ensley Athletic Center also allowed the Orange to start spring practice earlier than usual — its annual spring game was a week earlier than it was in 2014. And in the process of starting to condition and train earlier, SU can keep up with fellow Atlantic Coast Conference schools that begin spring ball at the same time.

And then, of course, there’s the convenience factor of having an indoor field so close to the rest of the program’s facilities.

“It keeps us warm,” quarterback Terrel Hunt said with a smile, “and it’s not a far walk. It’s amazing because it’s 24/7, so any given night I could just call someone up and say, ‘Hey, let’s go get a workout in.’

“We have access. That’s the best part.”

Lacrosse

Last year, men’s lacrosse head coach John Desko repeatedly pointed to Manley Field House’s shrunken dimensions when discussing his team’s early-season struggles.

Due to basketball season, the SU lacrosse programs are limited in how often they can practice in the Carrier Dome. But Desko’s team was more prepared for this season — especially against teams early in the year that hadn’t practiced on a full field yet.

“I think you could see the advantage we had in clearing and riding and fast-break situations,” Desko said. “The spacing’s been crucial. Not only are you more prepared to play the games, but I think it’s the confidence you have going into the games.”

In Manley Field House, it wasn’t feasible for the Orange, which has 59 players on its roster, to execute full-field drills, long-stick midfielder Peter Macartney said. But now Syracuse is able to condition better and work on its clearing more.

SU was consistently outside the top 35 in the country in clearing last year. Now it’s No. 2 in the nation and clears at a 91 percent rate, up from last year’s 86.3.

Attack Kevin Rice said the brand-new turf in Ensley was soft and difficult to run on at first, but it made running on the Carrier Dome’s packed-down turf even easier. Having Ensley has also eliminated the inconvenience of the team’s mass migration from Manley Field House to the Carrier Dome after watching film in the locker room, Macartney added.

Loren Ziegler, a senior midfielder on the women’s lacrosse team, said the Orange is now able to practice its full-field fast breaks and riding without being interrupted by a field’s dimensions.

For women’s head coach Gary Gait, though, the biggest upgrade is being indoors when the Syracuse weather is at its worst, and still having a full field to work with.

Said Gait: “To be able to be in here and be in a good climate to coach and teach, it’s awesome.”

Soccer

For Syracuse women’s soccer, the most notable upgrade is the space.

Manley Field House is suitable for smaller, technical training and group work, head coach Phil Wheddon said. But when the Orange played its first scrimmage last year, he added, his team hadn’t been able to practice with 11 players on the field because of Manley Field House’s limitations.

Now, practicing 2-3 mornings a week in the Ensley Athletic Center and not once on a grass field yet, he feels his team is way ahead of its usual schedule of progression because of the new facility.

“It’s one of the top facilities that I’ve been in for sure, and I’ve been in quite a few,” Wheddon said.

In addition to its advantages as a practice facility, the building will provide home and away locker rooms for teams playing in SU Soccer Stadium, Wheddon added. Having them for a halftime meeting room replaces the tents that were previously used for soccer teams. The tents were poorly lit, he said, and therefore the feedback coaches could give to players was limited.

While Wheddon hopes for more seating in SU Soccer Stadium and for more upgrades for Syracuse’s non-revenue sports programs, the Ensley Athletic Center has thus far accomplished what it was meant to.

“For every program, weather is not an issue,” Wheddon said. “Not only does it enhance recruiting and training, it also enhances facilities and the programs as a whole. So we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to be in there.”

Published on April 27, 2015 at 12:04 am

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb