Plaster Sports Complex: 

The Plaster Sports Complex is the outdoor track and field home for Missouri State University.  With a seating capacity of 16,600, along with 24 luxury boxes and a state of the art press box the facility is the state's largest stadium for track and field.

The facility features a 8-lane synthetic all-weather track surface, an outside steeplechase pit, two-runways and four sand pits for long and triple jump and recently upgraded high jump and pole vault mats and standards.

The stadiums infield was replaced in 2006 with the revolutionary Field Turf Synthetic Grass providing a all-weather soft surface for completing warm-ups, cool-downs, running drills, strides and various other training activities. 

In the summer of 2008 a nearly 2-million dollar jumbotron scoreboard will be added to the facility allowing for instant posting of track and field results.  The east side grandstands are also scheduled to be replaced during the summer of 2008.

In addition to track and field the facility also serves as home to Missouri State's football, soccer and field hockey teams. 

Forsythe Athletics Center

The Forsythe Athletics Center is the home base for Missouri State's track and field and cross country programs.  The facility houses the team's locker room, coaches offices and team meeting rooms as well as a number of facilities available to MSU athletes including athletic training and sports medicine services, equipment supply, laundry service and the Academic Achievement Center.

The programs locker rooms were renovated in 2003 providing the teams athletes with some of the finest locker rooms for track and field athletes.

Athletic Training Services has a main facility in Forsythe Athletics Center.  The Center is stocked with state-of-the-art therapy and rehabilitation equipment with all rehabilitation done on campus. 

Athletic Training services includes a staff of 10 athletic trainers that are certified by the National Athletic Trainer’s Association and registered by the Missouri State Board of Healing Arts.  Also included are 25 athletic training students who work with student-athletes with supervision by staff members.  (Click here for pictures of Athletic Training Facility)

Equipment manager Cory Starr manages the Forsythe Athletics Center equipment room.  Cory and his staff issue team members their training and competition equipment including shoes and apparel.  The equipment room staff also provides daily laundry service for student-athletes.

The Achievement Center for Intercollegiate Athletics (ACIA) was developed to focus on the academic needs and developmental well-being of the modern student-athlete. 

ACIA director Darren Wienberg works with a staff of five advisors as well as tutors from all academic disciplines to strengthen the student-athlete academic base.  Staff members work to monitor and assistant with each athletes academic progress, registration, and eligibility.

An ACIA emphasis is to work with first-time freshmen and transfers to ease their academic adjustment.  The goal is to develop good academic habits at the beginning of the MSU experience.  The ACIA study hall and computer labs are open six days a week, with 30 computers in the labs plus 10 laptops student-athletes can check-out for use on road trips. 

A key component of the ACIA is the Compliance Office.  Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance Casey Comoroski monitors adherence to NCAA regulations for all current and prospective athletes.  Casey also oversees the CHAMPS Life Skills program.  This program was created to aid in the total development of the student-athlete.  Goals of the program are to educate student-athletes in the areas of equity, healthy choices, positive life skills, safe  environments, academic success and community leadership.

McDonald Arena

When Missouri State's track and field athletes need to train indoors they head for McDonald Arena.  Located directly north of the PSC and connected to the outdoor track stadium by a tunnel McDonald Arena's indoor track features a bank synthetic track surface.  The facilities arena floor also provides an area for MSU's field event athletes to complete training.

Cross Country Course

In the fall of 2007 Missouri State open it’s much anticipated new home cross country facility.  The facility has been designed with major championships in mind.  The facility features an all grass loop style course that meets all NCAA championship requirements.  Missouri State has already been awarded the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships, the 2009 NCAA Midwest Region Championship and has bids for other major event in the submitted.  Aside from racing this new facility also provides the Lady Bears an additional training site nearby campus. 

For more information on the Missouri State Cross Country Facility Click Here.

Throwing Events Facility

In the spring of 2007 Missouri State completed construction on it's brand new throwing events facility.  The new facility is located north of the track directly behind the Forsythe Athletics Center.  The facility includes a state of the art hammer/discus cage.  Surrounding the ring is a 30-foot wide concrete pad allowing throwers plenty of space to enter the ring and prepare for their throw.  The facility also includes a new shot put ring with a 15-foot wide pad surrounding the ring.  A permanent chat stone shot landing area was also constructed.  The area is set up to allow for bleacher seating to be added during home track and field events.

Plaster Strength and Conditioning Center

The 7,200 square foot Plaster Sports Complex Strength and Conditioning Center is is one of the largest of its kind in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Strength coach Terry Sauerbry and his staff supervise facility which is free weight based.  The facility includes eight squat racks, eight platforms, four benches and four inclines in addition to numerous other types of strength training equipment including a full range of dumb bells, med-balls and physioballs.  The center also includes a warm-up room and staff offices.  (Click for Strength Complex Pictures)

Trails

Missouri State's distance runners enjoy a wide variety of options for trail running.  The Springfield, Mo. area and its Ozark Mountain surroundings feature numerous parks that provide many beautiful miles of running.

Phelps Grove Park:  Phelps Grove is a beautiful tree covered park just ¼-mile from the MSU campus.  The park contains a well groomed 1000-meter grass loop allowing Missouri State’s distance runners to complete interval training on soft, cross country specific terrain without having to go far from campus. 

Springfield Nature Center:  The Springfield Nature Center offers miles of wood chip and chat covered paths through rolling terrain.  The nature center is a usual stop for the Lady Bears for distance running.  The nature center also connects to the city’s greenway trails that run throughout the city.

Ritter Springs Park / Sac River Park:  Ritter Springs and the adjacent Sac River Park combined for over 10-miles of trail running through the rolling hills of Springfield’s north side.  The park features grass and dirt paths through wooded areas and open fields.  These two parks are normal spots for distance runs, hill workouts and fartlek workouts. 

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield:  “The Battlefield” was once the site of the first major civil war battle west of the Mississippi, now it is the usual home for the Lady Bear’s weekend long runs.  The Battlefield offers more than 15 miles of trail running through open fields and wooded paths.

Lake Springfield Park:  Lake Springfield provides the Lady Bears a challenging training site through its open fields that overlook the lake.  Missouri State’s runners commonly use the park for hill workouts and fartlek runs.  The park also features a 5,000-meter cross country course and a connecting greenway trail. 

Frisco Highline Trail:  The Frisco trail is a “rail to trail” project that extends from Springfield to Bolivar, Mo. providing 35-miles of smooth crushed limestone running path great for steady tempo running.