Tower-Fall-2020

FALL 2020 | TOWER 7 New Esports Arena Dedicated KU dedicated its new state-of-the-art Esports gaming arena on Feb. 13. The arena, located in McFarland Student Union, is available daily for open gaming. KU Esports teams compete against other universities nationwide across eight games: Rainbow Six Siege, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Overwatch, Rocket League, Magic: The Gathering Arena, Hearthstone and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. “Today marks the culmination of the creation of a home venue for our Esports team, which has been a part of our campus since 2018,” said President Kenneth S. Hawkinson (pictured at right). “The boom of Esports across the country was the impetus for us to invest in a state-of-the-art facility at KU.” athletics Keystone Field was officially opened with a dedication before the Golden Bears women’s soccer game on Sept. 14, 2019. The field underwent extensive renovations that included replacing the natural grass surface with artificial turf, the addition of permanent lights, permanent bleacher seating, an official press box and restrooms adjacent to O’Pake Fieldhouse. Students benefiting from Keystone Field’s renovation include 630 club sports participants, more than 1,000 intramural participants, up to 450 varsity student-athletes and a student body of more than 8,000. RENOVATED KEYSTONE FIELD OPENS Shirk Wins NCAA Elite 90 Award Hannah Shirk ’20 (special education) was the recipient of the Elite 90 award for the 2019 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade- point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships. Shirk (pictured below), a three-year member of the Golden Bears and a two-year captain after transferring from Slippery Rock following her freshman year, is a member of the Dean’s List, the NFHCA National Academic Squad and is a PSAC Scholar-Athlete.