Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 3 | January 2021

10 Inside Hokie Sports Looking to gain an edge over its Atlantic Coast Conference counterparts, Virginia Tech Athletics unveiled the recently completed Student-Athlete Performance Center in December. The nearly $20 million center replaced the old Bowman Room on the fourth floor of the Jamerson Athletics Center and serves as the primary space for the sports nutrition staff to meet the nutrition needs of student-athletes from all 22 of Virginia Tech’s varsity sports. “This project, in addition to what it represents on the face value, also represents that we’ve now completed a total renovation of the Merryman Center and Jamerson Center,” Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said. “The new Student-Athlete Performance Center has more than 25,000 square feet of space—it triples the previous space. It will provide constant nutrition for our student-athletes and wonderful event space for athletics activities, graduations and more.” The 19-month renovation project came about primarily as a result of the generosity of an alumni couple who made an anonymous $15.2 million gift—the largest gift ever to Virginia Tech Athletics. Both are natives of Virginia, and they, along with several other donors who made contributions to the project, did so mostly out of a desire to do something to benefit all of Virginia Tech’s approximately 550 student-athletes. The center includes a full-service kitchen that allows for the preparation of meals for student-athletes and a large dining space for them that features panoramic views of Lane Stadium and the Beamer- The center features a full-service kitchen and provides dining space for student- athletes from all 22 of Virginia Tech’s varsity sports by Jimmy Robertson Newly completed Student-Athlete Performance Center ready for use