The University of Iowa dedicated a new athletic training center on Thursday. Completed just a few months ago, the Nagle-Duda Gymnastics & Spirit Squads Training Center was presented to the public in a 3 p.m. ceremony that included remarks from university president Barbara J. Wilson and women’s gymnastics head coach Jen Llewellyn.

“This tremendous facility is going to be a game changer for our programs,” Wilson said in her statement. “It’ll benefit our athletes, our coaches, and our staff. It’ll enhance our ability to recruit the best and the brightest to the University of Iowa.”

The facility adds nearly 21,000 square feet of practice space that includes beams, uneven bars, and vault runways. Outside of practice and exercise space, the building also includes locker rooms, office space, and meeting rooms.

With private donations and athletics department revenue available, the project amounted to $20 million overall. A $5 million gift from former spirit squad member Mary Lee Nagle-Duda resulted in the facility being named after Nagle-Duda. 

“This moment is not just about celebrating a new building or new facilities,” Llewellyn, who led the GymHawks to fifth in the Big Ten in her inaugural season, said. “It’s about the transformation of an entire program and serving our greater community, a transformation that will empower not only our women, but also our coaches, staff, and everyone that gets to be a part of it and go through these doors.”

The ceremony also included remarks from University of Iowa Center For Advancement President and CEO Lynette L. Marshall, Henry and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair Beth Goetz, and third-year spirit squad member Katelyn Lookingbill, a dancer who praised the generosity of those who made the project possible.

“I absolutely cannot wait to continue to elevate our programs to the highest level and welcome all future spirit squad Hawkeyes to their home,” Lookingbill said. “For me, home is this group of people, and now our home has a permanent address.”