DENVER – MSU Denver's athletics playing facilities have undergone scheduled replacements this summer, and the new surfaces will not only continue to provide safe venues for student-athletes to compete but will also do so for a longer time frame while providing Roadrunners Athletics with increased branding opportunities.

Installation of new artificial turf is nearing completion at the Assembly Athletic Complex for the baseball, softball and soccer fields, while the gym floor at the Auraria Event Center has been completely resurfaced and repainted.

"We're excited about the new turf at the Assembly Athletic Complex, which replaces the original fields there as those warranties expire," said Todd Thurman, MSU Denver's director of athletics, citing changes at the facility that was built in 2014. "Our new fields are of better quality and will last longer than the original ones did because of the advances in technology. And the fields at our outdoor complex, as well as the floor at our indoor arena, will not only be great places for our players to play, but they will also properly showcase our facilities as among the best in NCAA Division II."

At the Assembly Athletic Complex, the baseball and softball fields are now AstroTurf Corporation's Diamond Series RBI system. Among other features, AstroTurf has developed turf that provides truer bounces and more natural speed on balls in play as well as turf that performs more like clay in traditional dirt or clay portions of the field.
 
The Roadrunners logo is now in center field rather than behind home plate, with "MSU Denver" displayed along the third base line and "Roadrunners" along the first base line.
 
The baseball, softball and soccer fields also have new LED stadium lights installed, offering more candlepower for brighter lights that enhance safety while using less energy.
 
AstroTurf's Ligaturf Rootzone Blend has been installed on the soccer field, offering grass-like traction and improved durability. In addition, a pad has been installed under the turf, helping reduce high-impact injuries such as concussions.
 
Along the east side of the playing field, "MSU Denver" and "Roadrunners" is displayed.
 
Original padding and netting at the outdoor fields have been replaced as well. Padding, due to the impact of the Colorado sun, has generally lasted about four years, but the new netting replaces the original. Padding and netting are critical for player and spectator safety.
 
The tennis courts at the Assembly Athletic Complex have also gotten a new look, as those sport-specific surfaces are now in the school colors of red (the playing courts) and blue (boundaries) rather than the traditional green and blue, taking advantage of a recent trend towards college tennis teams with courts in school colors.
 
Inside the Auraria Event Center for basketball and volleyball, a court that could no longer have another layer of sealant applied has been stripped down to the wood for the first time in a decade. The look is much more visually appealing as three sets of 3-point lines and two sets of restricted defensive arcs under each basket have been reduced to just one of each, reflecting what are now common sets of rules for both men's and women's basketball.
 
Also, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference logo, in school colors of red and blue, has been added to the floor.
 
MSU Denver's new playing surfaces will on display soon: the men's soccer team's regular season opener is Friday at 7 p.m., against San Francisco State, and the volleyball team plays host to the Colorado Premier Challenge beginning Friday, Sept. 2.