 |
|
(click for larger photo) |
Warmerdam Field has been playing host to Fresno State home meets since its construction in 1976. The nine-lane, 400-meter on-campus facility is named after Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam, the former Fresno State head coach and world record holder in the pole vault.
Warmerdam was the first vaulter to clear 15-feet, a height once considered insurmountable. A seven-time United States AAU pole vault champion, Warmerdam held the world pole vault record for four years (1940-43) while using a bamboo pole in a sawdust pit. Warmerdam competed for Fresno State in the 1930s before returning to serve as the Bulldog's head coach for 20 years.
In 1989, the track was resurfaced by Balsom America Track Co. with a 60 percent polyurethan base and 40 percent EPDM rubber.
Over the past decade, Warmerdam Field went through another facelift, adding grass berms around the east and south sides of the track. The grassy knolls provide additional seating as well as an aesthetic barrier to the surrounding parking.
The first-ever dual meet held at Warmerdam was on April 23, 1977, when Fresno State hosted California.
Most recently, Warmerdam Field hosted the 2007 WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
|
|
 |
