PLNU Athletics

FACILITY PHOTO GALLERY

The Point Loma athletic facilities are one of the most scenic in the nation. Set in a natural bowl, baseball seating is available on the south side of the complex at field level and twenty feet above the pitch on another set of bleachers just above. The "loge" level seats offer a stunning look at the Pacific Ocean, with La Jolla in view to the north on a clear day.
 
The soccer team shares the facility with the women's track & field team. The all-weather track was installed in January of 1984, preceding the Olympic games in Los Angeles. Many Olympic athletes and world class runners from around the world have taken advantage of San Diego's weather and Point Loma's setting to train on this track. The track has been resurfaced over the years, including in 2008, rendering it one of the finest competitive facilities in Southern California. New bleachers were installed in 2006 which expanded the seating capacity considerably.
 
Golden Gymnasium is host building for the women's volleyball team and the basketball squads, it was built in 1962 by the Golden Construction Company. With seating for 1,750, Golden Gym can handle the traditionally large crowds of Homecoming basketball and has hosted multiple NAIA National Volleyball Championships. Its unique configuration allowed for the set-up of three regulation volleyball courts, which the NAIA utilized during the national tournament (1992,1993,1995,1996, 2002, 2003) when three matches are played at once, from early in the morning until late at night. The San Diego Chargers, US Olympic Decathletes, and US men's and Women's Olympic volleyball teams are among others who have used Golden Gym. Various commercials and television promos have also been shot in the building. Golden Gym also houses several offices and the weight room, located on the ground floor behind the east bleachers.
 
Point Loma Baseball Field Renamed
Carroll Land gazed out at a full-house audience at the National Baseball Coaches Association’s 1998 banquet at San Diego’s Downtown Marriott in January and felt like pinching himself. He knew he was what was this other honor that had just been about to be inducted into the ABCA Hall of Fame. However, the renaming of the baseball field on the Point Loma Stadium had caught Land totally by surprise.
 
"I thought I knew what I was going to say up here," said PLNU's former athletic director and baseball coach Carroll Land. "Now it seems I struggle to find the words....how to say thank you to my institution, out of love and gratitude for the opportunity to serve."
 
The picturesque field that’s tucked into the southwest side of the Sea Lion campus and has been named Carroll B. Land Field, after the legendary coach and administrator. 
 
In his remarks at the Hall of Fame induction, Land joked about his own accomplishments as a baseball player, noting, "I was blessed with just enough skills to be able to play the game. It took me a while to forgive God for that."
 
"More importantly," added Land, whose 1993 and ‘94 teams went to the NAIA World Series, "This job has allowed me to become part of something far more important than being involved in a great sport. . I’ve had the opportunity to influence and be part of the lives of young men. It’s an incredible opportunity, but, more than that, a tremendous responsibility."
 
Through the years, Carroll B. Land Stadium has evolved into what it is—a cozy, comfortable field of dreams-largely through the efforts of Land. The box seats, club-view seating over the home-team dugout, immaculate playing surface, grassy seating areas down the foul lines, batting cages and other amenities all are in place because of Land’s persistence, work ethic and knack for securing an endless stream of sponsors willing to fund projects. "Fans here are closer to the field than about anywhere you can imagine," notes Land, pinpointing a big reason for the park’s intimate charm.
 
The park wouldn’t be what it is if Carroll Land were just another college baseball coach focused on winning at all costs and making the moves necessary to do it. Instead, Land has stayed put. Now, his school is rewarding him for both his loyalty and his level of achievement. Carroll B. Land Stadium has a nice ring to it.
In 2002, Point Loma Nazarene’s new Athletic Training Clinic opened for occupancy after nearly a year of construction, soaring building costs and detours to playing fields. Handicap access ramps tacked on $60,000 to the original $750,000 budget forcing Athletic Director Carroll Land to raise the additional funds. But cost overrides and inconvenience were all forgotten as the university moved into its 2,800 square foot, state-of-the-art facility.
 
The building includes offices, a concession stand, restrooms and a training clinic that is almost three times the size of the previous one. Besides the increase in space, the clinic comes complete with new training tables and equipment to speed up rehabilitation. Point Loma’s training staff will be better equipped to handle the aches and pains of the university’s 280 athletes. Also, students majoring in athletic training will have a setting that nurtures their educational development.
 
“In the past we had such a very small facility that we were very limited,” said Dr. Leon Kugler, director of the athletic training program. “We just couldn’t accommodate everyone we needed to. Now we are able to provide more timely service and supervision of athletic training.”
 
Susan Ganz, athletic trainer, agrees, “We will be able to give better care to the athletes. It will be easier to provide care because we have more room. In the old facility we only had four treatment tables now we have eight. We never had a problem not having enough trainers; we had a problem with space.”
 
The new athletic training clinic is also closer to the playing fields and potentially injured athletes, making transitions from the field to the clinic quicker and more efficient without a flight of stairs to climb. Once there athletes can depend on a top-notch medical staff.
 
A 2,800 square foot rooftop observation deck provides fans an unobstructed view of the tennis courts and baseball field as well as a beautiful setting for social gatherings complete with a breathtaking view of Point Loma coast and the Pacific Ocean. Certainly the school can already boast of one of the finest athletic training clinics in the conference.
 
“To have these kinds of facilities, it just looks like we’re serious about what’s going on,” said Dr. Kugler. We are very thankful that the university realized that for to us to have an appropriate athletic training program we had to have an appropriate facility.”