MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Auburn University at Montgomery Director of Athletics Erik Maas announced Monday a fundraising campaign targeted at raising money for the athletics department's new Warhawk Student-Athlete Performance Center.

"I am excited that this project has become a reality for our student-athletes and coaches," said Maas. "The Student-Athlete Performance Center will be a much-needed space for our teams to get stronger and get healthier, both physically and mentally. I want to thank our chancellor, Dr. Carl Stockton, for his commitment to our student-athletes and our department."

Well-trained athletes require a great amount of specificity, individualization, and variation with their strength training programs. The Warhawks, who currently utilize a shared facility to conduct workouts, will benefit greatly from a dedicated strength and conditioning facility. The facility will help student-athletes, both individually and as teams, train for the rigors of collegiate athletic competition and improve upon an already strong AUM tradition.

"This facility is going to be a key component in allowing us to successfully serve and develop our student-athletes to allow them to compete and win at the NCAA Division II level," said Maas. "The more support we receive for the performance center, the better facility we can provide for our student-athletes."

In an extremely competitive environment in the Gulf South Conference and the NCAA South Region, one of the premier NCAA Division II conferences and one of the most competitive regions across the NCAA Division II landscape, AUM is behind many other conference institutions in the race to provide student-athletes with a state-of-the-art training center.

Despite trailing the pack when it comes to a dedicated AUM Athletics strength and conditioning facility, the Warhawks have excelled on the fields and courts of competition.

In the fall of 2022, AUM men's soccer team reached its second consecutive GSC tournament semifinal and finished the season ranked fifth in the South Region by the United Soccer Coaches Association. The volleyball squad, which made its third straight GSC tournament, put together the school's deepest postseason run of the NCAA era as the Warhawks knocked off the No. 6 and No. 3 seeds en route to the first semifinal appearance in school history. The women's cross country team capped the fall with the team's highest-ever finish at the GSC Championships with a fourth-place overall finish.

The men's basketball team earned its second straight appearance in GSC postseason play last winter, and the softball team picked up 11 wins against ranked opponents and posted a 17-0 record at home. AUM finished third at the 2022 GSC tournament and made a run to the NCAA South Region II championship game. AUM tennis also had a strong spring, as both squads earned berths in the NCAA South Region tournament. The women's team earned its second straight trip and also made it to the semifinals of the GSC tournament. On the men's side, the squad made its first NCAA postseason appearance and finished as the runners-up in the 2022 GSC tournament. 

"This facility will make a tremendous impact on all of our Warhawks," said Maas. "Your donations will help us continue to make AUM a premier destination for student-athletes in Division II."

For more information about the fundraising campaign, visit www.AUMathletics.com/BuildingChampions. Naming rights for the project are also still available. If interested, contact Assistant Director of Athletics for External Relations Tim Lutz via email at tlutz1@aum.edu or by phone at 334-244-3832.

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