The GW Department of Athletics has tentative plans to expand and create facilities at GW’s Mount Vernon campus for several varsity sports, Director of Athletics Jack Kvancz said.

Several current varsity sports, including men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s tennis, would compete at upgraded facilities at Mount Vernon under the plan. Future varsity sports women’s lacrosse and women’s softball would also play there.

But plans are far from being implemented. They are pending approval within the University’s overall campus plan and must also go through D.C.’s Board of Zoning Adjustment, Kvancz said.

“Basically where it is right now – the paperwork, the documents are being prepared to be sent through the proper channels,” said Tony Vecchione, assistant director of athletics/facilities. “We would like to move a lot quicker, but you can only move so quick. It takes time to do.”

If the plans are approved, they would drastically improve the overall quality of GW’s athletic facilities, especially with the addition of the health and wellness center scheduled to be completed in 2000.

“If everything would come to fruition, you could have tremendous facilities at Mount Vernon for women,” Kvancz said. “You could really look at it and say, `Wow.'”

The plans also would bring several sports closer to campus, which would make it much easier for students to watch GW athletic events. The soccer teams would benefit greatly from the move, because they play home games 45 minutes from campus in South Riding, Va. An athletic field already exists at the Mount Vernon campus. That field would be enhanced to accommodate both the men’s and women’s soccer teams and the women’s lacrosse team, under the plans.

“Right then and there the esprit d’ corps between students and student-athletes, it would be immense – something that this campus has never had,” Kvancz said.

The tennis teams, which have already started playing some home matches at the Mount Vernon campus, would play on three to six new courts in addition to the six courts already in existence.

But because the plans must still undergo a lengthy approval process, and the athletic facilities may be years from completion, problems may arise for two of GW’s new sports – lacrosse and softball. Lacrosse is slated to become a varsity sport at GW in the 2000-2001 academic year, and softball is supposed to reach varsity level in 2001-2002. It is not guaranteed, however, that the enhanced soccer field and new softball field would be ready for competition by those dates.

“The question comes, `When are we going to start softball?'” Kvancz said. “I can tell you this – we will start softball. I just don’t know when yet.”