WHAT'S NEXT
7/13/2024 11:38:00 AM | Football, General, Softball, Women's Beach Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Bronco Athletic Association
Following the announcement of the What’s Next initiative, department staff have been hard at work setting the stage for future successes by focusing on infrastructure. Feature stories include the following.
- Let There Be Lights
- Beach Volleyball Lights the BLUE
- Unbridled
- North End Zone Project
Let There Be Lights
Boise State installed lights during 2023-24 at both its home soccer and softball facilities and both programs saw record-setting attendance.
The first night match for soccer occurred Aug. 26, 2023 against No. 11 BYU in front of a school-record 1,620 fans. The Broncos posted a 4-2-0 record under the lights at Boas Soccer Complex last fall.
Huber Field at Dona Larsen Park debuted its lights, March 28, 2024 against San Jose State. The Broncos hosted nationally ranked Washington and defeated Nevada in a night game to reach the Mountain West Championship final.
Beach Volleyball Lights the BLUE
Since the Boise State beach volleyball program was founded in 2014, the Broncos had never beaten Arizona.
The Wildcats, a team that routinely finds itself in the top 20 of the AVCA rankings, was a great example on how a successful beach volleyball program operated. They fielded a competitive team, developed exemplary student-athletes and ran well-operated home events. As Boise State continued to grow into a top 20 program, they viewed the Wildcats as a measuring stick.
Though Arizona had won all 14 contests before the two programs met in Boise, April 10, the Broncos, who had spent all season receiving votes in the rankings, had come close. The two teams had already met twice earlier in the season, with the Wildcats narrowly coming away with two separate 3-2 victories.
Both teams opened the day with closely-contested wins against a competitive Saint Mary’s team, setting up a climatic final contest of the Boise State Tri-Dual in front of hundreds of Blue and Orange faithful.
The Wildcats came out on fire, winning the first two matches to take a 2-0 lead. The Broncos’ top pair, Marlayna Bullington and Sierra Land, started the comeback with a straight-set victory to put Boise State on the board. Minutes later, Sharli O’Neil and Elli Wolthuis pulled off a comeback victory on court five to even the score.
The fans moved to catch the end of the dual’s fate on court three, where freshman Addison Wolden and sophomore Abbie Wolf had just won 23-21 to force a third set. The pair started out hot in the deciding frame, racing out to a five-point lead to the roar of the Boise State crowd. However, Arizona’s Grace Cook and Kylee Fitzsimmons stormed back, claiming a 14-10 lead and needing just one point to win the match for the Wildcats.
“I was off to the side,” head coach Allison Voigt said. “I was trying to be as calm as possible. We had been in situations like this before. I was prepared for the good but also for the disappointment. I knew with Addison and Abbie’s energy and their confidence that they had a chance to get us back.”
Showcasing complete composure, Wolden and Wolf roared back. The duo rattled off four-straight points to tie the match at 14. The crowd was as loud as it had ever been.
“We had a side switch at 11-14,” Voigt said. “Then we had a couple of serves and got them out of system. It was at that point that we thought that we can do this.”
Now teeming with confidence, the pair won the third set 17-15. Wolden and Wolf’s teammates stormed the sand, celebrating the team’s second ranked victory of the season.
The win was massive for a myriad of reasons. Not only was it the first victory in program history over the Wildcats, but it was also the team’s 26th victory on the year, breaking the program record for most wins in a season. It also solidified the program’s dominance at home, as the victory marked the 15th-straight win on the home sand, dating back to 2020.
“That was one of my favorite moments as a coach at Boise State,” Voigt said. “The fact that we pulled this off with so many fans behind us and our team supporting one another. I’m excited for more moments like that in the future.”
Boise State Athletics Announces $150 Million Goal for Athletics Pillar as Part of UNBRIDLED: The Campaign for Boise State University
Following the Oct. 28 launch of Unbridled: The Campaign for Boise State University - the most ambitious philanthropic and alumni engagement campaign in the university's history - Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey announced a $150 million fundraising goal for the Athletics pillar of the campaign, which runs through 2028. The priorities of the Athletics pillar include facility upgrades and enhanced programming to support the whole student-athlete.
From groundbreaking research to more opportunities for students, the campaign advances key priorities at the university level and for each college, school, and unit to help meet the unique challenges of the time. The campaign priorities are grounded in the institution's mission and include the following:
* Student Success and Access: Endowed Scholarships and True Blue Scholarships
* Relentless Faculty Innovation: Endowed Faculty
* Athletics: Positioned for What's Next
The What's Next Initiative places facility enhancements, such as the Albertsons Stadium North End Zone Project and Arguinchona Basketball Complex renovation, and student-athlete programs as priorities. Updating and enhancing athletics facilities ensures that Boise State student-athletes have access to state-of-the-art resources, creating an environment that promotes their physical, mental and professional development, fosters their competitive spirit and fuels their drive for success.
Boise State Athletics Launches Premium Seating Sales Process for North End Zone
Market study reinforced growing demand for more elite experiences at Albertsons Stadium
On May 25, Boise State Athletics officially opened its premium seating waitlist and sales process for the North End Zone project. The design process, which began in 2023, is entering its final phase of development.
Pending final approvals as part of the design build process, construction will begin in early 2025 with a targeted completion date prior to the 2026 Bronco football season.
Information about North End Zone premium seating options, including renderings, can be found at BroncoSports.com/NorthEndZone.
The North End Zone Project will add approximately 1,600 seats and feature 12 field level suites, 44 loge boxes, 148 ledge seats, 882 club seats with all-inclusive food and beverage amenities on game days. The project includes club and terrace spaces that will also be utilized on non-game days, including a Training Table and nutrition center for all student-athletes to provide the fuel and education they need to best position them for success on and off the field. Future phases of the project will include build outs of a new football recruiting lounge and a new visitors locker room.
Additional restrooms, mobile concession kiosks, an open-air sports bar and lounge area, and wider concourses will provide all fans with an improved game day experience through increased ingress/egress efficiency and greater concourse movement.
The new seating options will bring fans even closer to the field-of-play and deliver enhanced amenities, and comfortable spaces where Bronco Nation can come together to celebrate one of the best atmospheres in college football, featuring a team entrance to the stadium through its state of the art field-level club.
Priority for selecting premium seating options will be based upon capital commitments toward the North End Zone Project. Capital commitments are payable over a maximum of five years, with the first installment due December 2024. Ticket holders may increase their commitment amount or pay up-front/over a shorter time period to increase their priority.
The Year in Review concludes tomorrow by celebrating the Student and Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
