Home to Columbia's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball teams, the Francis S. Levien Gymnasium opened at the start of the 1974 season. With a capacity of 2,500, Levien Gym is one of the larger facilities in the IVY league.
In the summer of 2006, a brand new state of the art playing surface was laid down at Levien Gym with refreshed coloring and updated marks. Prior to the 2008-09 season, Levien was further upgraded with brand-new sideline panels, promoting Columbia Athletics' corporate sponsors.
Levien Gym has drawn some of the largest crowds in the building's history in recent years. In January 2010, consecutive standing-room only, sellout crowds saw the men's basketball squad square off with Ivy League rivals Cornell and Harvard. On November 22, 2013, 2,103 fans packed Levien to watch the Columbia women's basketball team take on Cal State Fullerton. It was the largest crowd ever to watch a Columbia women's basketball game.
Post by jenningsbeach on Aug 28, 2015 19:44:22 GMT -5
The Hartley Dodge Physical Fitness Center is a tremendous sport complex -- this is Columbia ($$$), after all -- but Levien is a high-school gym. Six rows of chairbacks in three sections, "refreshed coloring" and the addition of sideline panels to promote corporate sponsorship doesn't exactly change that. It was built in the 1970s, and that's still the vibe. On the ambience scale, most of the other Ivy League venues blow it away. I also don't know how they can say Levien is one of the larger facilities in the Ivy League. It's No. 6 of eight, topping only Harvard and Dartmouth.
It's nicer than Alumni Hall. I'll give you that.
Last Edit: Aug 28, 2015 19:46:10 GMT -5 by jenningsbeach
Its exactly the same building as Yanitelli, but Columbia refurbished it and it looks a thousand times better. Just for the record, once Siena finishes their redo of the Alumni Recreation Center, Fairfield and St Peter's will be the ONLY MAAC schools without chair back seating in their on campus facilities. DISGRACEFUL!
Granted YALE has an endowment of $23.9 billion as compared with Fairfield's $313.1 million endowment but Alumni Hall's peeling paint and it's neglected condition and as an outdated NCAA Division 1 and MAAC facility, is a disgrace AND should be an embarrassment to the Athletic Department, administration and trustees. As Gene Doris, Fairfield University Athletic Director said "it's a bad high school gym" but Women's Basketball Coach Joe Frager and Women's Volleyball Coach Todd Kress still have to play there and recruit to it.
Post by jenningsbeach on Sept 2, 2015 16:06:37 GMT -5
Nashville (or anyone),
Any idea if Fairfield will be playing a homecoming game for the Gilberts? UMES is 86 miles from Smyrna, Del., so that may be it. The University of Delaware's schedule is already out, but Delaware State University is still working on theirs. Dover, Del., is only 12 miles from the Gilberts' hometown.
Thanks.
Last Edit: Sept 2, 2015 16:35:16 GMT -5 by jenningsbeach
Any idea if Fairfield will be playing a homecoming game for the Gilberts? UMES is 86 miles from Smyrna, Del., so that may be it. The University of Delaware's schedule is already out, but Delaware State University is still working on theirs. Dover, Del., is only 12 miles from the Gilberts' hometown.
Thanks.
Last I heard (but this was a month ago) was that we probably will only be playing 30 games. I'm pretty sure the 10 documented OOC listed on this board plus the 20 MAAC games are it. Maybe they are still trying to fit in another, but it is getting rather late for any additions I would think. Seems to me the schedule is due out any day now.
Some high preseason expectations for two of our Ivy League OOC opponents according to this Jeff Goodman tweet:
Jeff Goodman @goodmanespn Sep 2 Harvard was likely going to be picked 4th in Ivy - even w/Siyani Chambers. Look for Princeton, Columbia, Yale to be picked ahead of Crimson.
Harvard's Chambers tore his ACL and won't be playing this season.
Using last season's rpi as their method for determining the non-conference strength of schedule, MAAChoops has us having the most difficult SOS for away non-conference games of the 8 MAAC teams which have announced their OOC schedules. Only Monmouth has a weaker home OOC schedule than us according to MAAChoops.