The West Gym is no longer, but perhaps not permanently, the home of UNI wrestling.
The Panthers moved out of the historic building for competition for the final two home dates of the 2021-22 season, when they hosted both Iowa State and Wisconsin in the McLeod Center. For 2022-23 they hosted all five home duals in McLeod and will host five duals there this upcoming season. The McLeod Center is the competition arena for UNI wrestling for the foreseeable future.
UNI had previously moved to the McLeod Center when the arena was first opened, before making the West Gym their home again when Doug Schwab took over as head coach.
The older building, “has been temporarily vacated as architects and consultants continue to evaluate the building,” according to Pete Moris, the Director of University Relations at UNI. There are large, orange supports holding up the east side of the building. The stands are no longer stable. The floor has not been level for years.
“We are all keenly aware that the functional lifespan of the West Gym is very limited. A financial commitment of approximately $20 million to replace the roof and walls* of the building and to begin making multiple other structural improvements to extend its current functionality are both impractical and prohibitive,” Moris said to IAwrestle. “UNI is continuing to evaluate its options for a wrestling operations and training center that will fill the needs of the program on both a short-term and long-term basis.”
The decision on whether or not to move back into the building rests on a few factors. The first is the ability of the 98 year old building to stay standing, and its ability to gain certification that it is safe for occupancy.
Next, evaluations would have to be done by Head Coach Doug Schwab, his staff, and the various departments at UNI in charge of athletics and facilities, on whether or not it is worth the investments to upgrade a building that does not have that long of a lifespan left. Schwab has made it clear that the West Gym is the program’s home, but with estimates of a new roof alone costing around $20 million, and with potential problems to pop up along the way, it may not make the most sense financially.
And then there’s the money aspect. Even if the previous steps are taken, the athletic department cannot afford to sink such a heavy investment into a building that could potentially have more problems pop up at any given time. Besides not being able to afford it, the athletic department simply lacks the funds in the first place.
Barring all of that happening, and it seems like it is a fairly long shot, the West Gym is done in its current iteration.
With the practice room is no longer usable, the squad has moved out and are using the USA Mat Club facility, at 623 E 19th S in Cedar Falls, for training. The move off-campus is the first such for UNI wrestling in its 100 year history.
With no clear decision on the West Gym, there is no clear decision on what to do next either. Once another evaluation is of the facility is made, then the ball can get rolling on the next steps. There was no timetable specified by the university.
*This article has been updated to reflect the pricing of a new roof for the West Gym. UNI clairified that the $20 million includes the price of the roof and new walls for the building, not just the price of the roof.