WASHINGTON – This past weekend, Georgetown Athletics officially opened two significant facility improvements celebrating the donors who made it happen as well as the student-athletes, coaches and staff that directly benefit from their generosity.

"This past weekend was a truly transformational experience for our Department," said Francis X. Rienzo Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed. "To be fortunate enough to celebrate two significant gifts in a two-day span was incredible for our student-athletes, coaches, donors and staff. The Cooper Family has given so much to this University, and their impact is felt both on the field of play and in the lives of our student-athletes as part of the Cooper Athletics Leadership Program. Additionally, volleyball's new locker room is a program-changing asset putting us on par with some of the best teams in the country. We are immensely grateful for those that donated to both projects, and are thankful the time has finally come to celebrate."

Cooper Field
Despite being in use over the past two seasons, Cooper Field was officially opened as football, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse and field hockey student-athletes celebrated the generosity of Peter and Sue Cooper and their family for the major gift to benefit all four programs. A ribbon cutting ceremony and dinner was the precursor to Cooper and his family performing the toss at midfield of Saturday's football game.

Cooper's $50 million gift, one of the largest to the University and the largest in Athletics history, supported an innovative leadership program for the University's nearly 700 student-athletes as well as funding the completion of the field making it a state-of-the-art facility.

Football Head Coach Rob Sgarlata

• "'The people make the place. Throughout my 32 years on the Hilltop, I have often heard and many times repeated this statement.  The Cooper Family represents the very best of Georgetown.  Peter and Sue Cooper have invested in developing the extremely talented student-athletes to a higher level both on and off of the field.  The Cooper Athletic Leadership Program and the Cooper Field facility are integral to the development of the entire person embodying the concept of cura personalis.  Thank you to all of the members of our Hoya football family who traveled to DC this weekend to thank the Coopers and all of the donors for this transformational gift."

Talati Polamalu - Football

• "The Cooper Family has given so much to not only the program but to the University. I had the chance to work as an intern with the Cooper Athletic Leadership Program and I was able to find an identity outside of football. It allowed me to connect with other student-athletes and strive to be more than just a football player. All-in-all, I'm very grateful for the opportunities that they have given me in my time on the Hilltop."

Graceann Bennett - Women's Basketball

• "I've been fortunate enough to work as an intern for the Cooper Athletics Leadership Program for two summers. The Cooper Family gave me the opportunity to create a welcoming, inclusive environment for incoming student athletes at Hoya Fall Formation. In addition to immeasurable leadership experience, I learned the importance of investing in connection and creating a community where student-athletes feel valued and supported. Thank you, Cooper Family!"

Volleyball Locker Room
An anonymous donor made it all possible for the volleyball team as the squad held a ribbon cutting of their own on the new space in McDonough Arena. The new locker room includes a large changing space, nutrition station, a lounge area and modern fixtures as well as branding throughout.

Volleyball Head Coach David Heller

• "We had such a great turnout for our locker room opening. There was a wonderful mix of alumni, family and staff that were able to come together for this game-changing space. Our alumnae got to sign a few volleyballs that will be on display for our team and recruits to draw inspiration from! It was awesome to be able to highlight some of the trophies and highlights that some of our alums helped to accomplish. The current team was really excited to show off the space and make the alumnae and their families feel welcome. It was great to have President DeGioia, Lee Reed and Sharon Brummell join us for the event. Their support for our team and program have been amazing and we were happy to gift them with autographed team posters as a small thank you. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped make this project possible and we are so happy to have this amazing space inside of McDonough Arena."

Volleyball Student-Athlete Jessica Cusi

• "I'm thrilled that alumnae, family and friends of the Georgetown volleyball program were able to celebrate our new locker room at the ribbon cutting ceremony, and it was an honor to be a part of the ribbon cutting as a graduate student. The locker room is such a great space for our team to spend time together and be productive for both volleyball and academic purposes. We have the equipment and space to watch film together or do homework, as well as plenty of room to get ready for practice and classes everyday. The locker room benefits the program in so many ways and I think that everyone who saw how beautiful it is can attest to what a game changer it is."