The University of Pennsylvania has announced a $17.5 million gift from Wharton School alumnus Jay Alix (’77) in support of the Penn Track & Field and Cross-Country Campaign for Excellence. 

The gift will support construction of an indoor track and field facility at the southeast corner of campus. The planned 73,000-square-foot facility will include a six-lane, 200-meter banked track; an eight-lane sprint track; dedicated areas for field events; and seating for spectators. Construction is slated to begin in August 2022. In recognition of the gift, which complements a lead gift from fellow Wharton alumni Jane and David Ott, the university will name the Jay Alix Throws Area in the Jane and David Ott Center for Track & Field.

“We are incredibly grateful to Jay Alix for this extraordinary gift, which provides the additional support needed to turn a decades-long dream into reality,” said Wendell Pritchett, interim president of the university. “The new track and field center will have a dramatic impact on Penn’s program, enhancing our ability to recruit and develop scholar-athletes into leaders on and off the field.” 

“My time at Penn was made all the more memorable by training and competing as a thrower, often in inclement weather,” said Alix. “Track and field is an incredibly diverse sport and serves as an ideal platform for students to develop the teamwork and leadership skills that will serve them far beyond their college years. Investing in these talented student-athletes is more important than ever....[T]his new facility…will build on Penn’s legacy of track and field achievement to create an even brighter future for Penn athletes.”

(Photo Credit: Getty Images/ArtistGNDphotography)