The University of Mary Washington Athletics slogan of Get Dirty, Go Wash was a fitting cheer for the groundbreaking ceremony held on Thursday, Oct. 23, of Homecoming Week for a highly anticipated multi million dollar modular locker room facility at the Battleground Athletic Complex.

"The University is proud to offer dedicated locker room spaces for its seven NCAA field sports", said UMW Director of Athletics Patrick Catullo. "These permanent facilities at the Battleground provide teams with a central place to gather, hold meetings, and prepare for practices and competitions—greatly enhancing both the student-athlete experience and the University's recruitment and retention efforts. These locker rooms will serve as a valuable asset in attracting top academic and athletic talent from across the region."

The new locker rooms will include space for the field hockey, men's soccer, and women's soccer in the fall, and for baseball, softball, and women's lacrosse in the spring. In addition, the new space will allow men's lacrosse to have dedicated access to the existing locker room space in the UMW Physical Plant. The facilities will serve nearly half of the department's student-athletes.

"I am excited to break ground for the new locker rooms at the Battleground that will aid our teams in gaining a true home field advantage", said UMW President Troy Paino. "Our student-athletes are an important part of our campus community, and I am gratified that they will have a first-class area to prepare for competition and continue to represent our university positively on the national level."

The modular units have completed construction, with groundwork at the Battleground site having already begun. The units will move onto campus upon completion in April 2026, with locker installation to follow in May through July. Availability for use is slated for August 2026.

The new locker facilities have been constructed by Wilmot Modulars, and include three locker room spaces. Two locker rooms are each 50 feet wide, and the other is 60 feet wide. Each locker room will consist of a dry area for lockers and a wet area which will include showers, toilets, sinks and washer/dryers. Each locker room will hold between 45-50 lockers.

An initiative for naming lockers in honor of alumni and friends of the programs will commence later this year.