NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- When you find success with something, you keep riding it...and that's exactly what Columbia University is doing with the announcement that the Lions have elected to install FieldTurf at Andy Coakley Field. The installation, which was jointly announced by Columbia Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education M. Dianne Murphy and FieldTurf Tarkett CEO David Moszkowski, will make Andy Coakley Field one of the top baseball venues in the Ivy League.
This will mark the third FieldTurf surface at Columbia. The university recently announced a FieldTurf installation at Columbia Soccer Stadium and also previously put in FieldTurf at Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. The installation at Andy Coakley will commence on September 4 and will include a resurfacing of the infield, outfield and base cutouts. FieldTurf's outstanding state-of-the-art baseball product is the finest in the world and is currently in use by several Major League Baseball teams, including the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays.
"This will be an outstanding field that illustrates our commitment to Columbia Baseball as we continue to strive for quality and excellence in all that we do," said Murphy. "By installing a state-of-the-art FieldTurf surface at Andy Coakley Field, we are continuing consistent and significant improvement of this facility, which ranks it among the best baseball venues in the Ivy League."
"The 'new' Andy Coakley Field is going to help take Columbia Baseball to a new level," said Columbia Head Baseball Coach Brett Boretti. "It will allow us to practice and play outdoors in February, earlier than ever before. With the installation of the FieldTurf, Andy Coakley Field will also be one of the best baseball facilities in the league. We are excited and looking forward to showing our recruits and our team our new facility."
"We are so pleased that Columbia continues to show such tremendous faith in FieldTurf by selecting our product for a third installation," said Moszkowski. "Certainly, we will not let them down, and we will provide the absolute best baseball surface available in the world, along with tremendous customer service. The Ivy League is one of the most prestigious and traditional athletic conferences in the United States, and to have one of the Ivy's venerable members as a repeat customer is certainly a feather in our cap. Coach Boretti and his Lions will have a field that they can be proud of, and one that will provide them with top-of-the-line playability and safety."
The new FieldTurf at Andy Coakley Field comes just months after it received major upgrades that included the installation of 250 chairback seats, a press box, an extended major league-style backdrop behind home plate and an improved sound system. Also, a modern batting cage was installed in left field, the bullpens were reconfigured and a strengthened retaining wall was put in place along the right field line.
FieldTurf is fundamentally different from all others. Stable, firm not spongy, non-abrasive and uniform in traction, FieldTurf is engineered to play and feel like good natural grass. On FieldTurf, players perform with confidence -- and never experience the accelerated fatigue and muscle / joint stress associated with lightweight, rubber-filled systems.
FieldTurf Tarkett is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and provides unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering and manufacturing resources. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of products that includes synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are indoor and outdoor running tracks including the high performance 'Le Monde' track system, playground surfacing, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. For more information, please visit www.fieldturftarkett.com