Behind a door on the second floor of Carnegie Mellon University’s Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics(opens in new window), the gray concrete floor merges with green turf and three screens show lush trees whose leaves flutter in a virtual breeze.

“Whenever I walk in here, everything outside that door does not exist — it’s just me and my teammates,” said Sriya Mupparaju, a senior studying business and decision science and a member of the 2024 NCAA Division III Champion women’s golf team.

The new Rohr Intercollegiate Golf Training Facility inside the Highmark Center features raised turf to accommodate golf holes and acoustics to contain the sounds of swings and golf ball landings. Mupparaju and her teammates, alongside members of the 2023 NCAA Division III Champion men’s golf team, can use the simulator technology in any weather.

Ty Jones(opens in new window), assistant coach for both teams, said the new space combined with the simulator technology allows the players to have opportunities to perfect their swings in ways they did not have before.

Coaches provide a weekly checklist for practice drills the team members should complete, then they use the simulators to log the data in a spreadsheet for review.

“Everything is here in Highmark for them to be able to excel using all of the resources that Carnegie Mellon offers,” Jones said, adding that the Trackman simulator devices can also be taken out to practice courses to gather data. “This is elevated — on a whole new level.”

Swings see improvement with indoor simulators

With 21 players on both teams combined, the varsity student-athletes can spend time together in the practice space, any time from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, in a way that wasn’t possible before, Mupparaju said.

“With the old space, if it was more than four people in that room, it felt so claustrophobic,” she added. “Now, this space promotes a lot more cohesion among everyone, everyone knows each other so much better, and we’re more motivated to be in the same space.”

Kaylin Yeoh, a senior studying information systems, agreed, adding that the healthy options at the Shake Smart location within the Highmark Center and study areas throughout are as appealing as being able to hang out with her teammates and practice.

“It’s an all-in-one destination,” she said. “I know I can come in here and practice whenever I want to. I could stay here all day and be fine.”

Yeoh’s new favorite features are the individual lockers for each player and the undulating floor for putting.

Justin Chan, men’s team captain and senior studying business, said preparing indoors helps, especially in the winter.

“Now, with the spring season here, I think we’ll be a lot better,” he said.

Steven Shea, a sophomore studying business, said he appreciates the additional space and more time to work with the simulators.

“I am playing better this season than last season,” he said. “The new space is part of it.”

Outside the team’s practice space, Shea was also excited to hit the Highmark Center’s basketball courts, since he and some teammates also play together on an intramural basketball team called “Revenge Tour,” referencing the men’s team place as runner-up(opens in new window) at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Alumnus seizes “cool” way to give back

For four years — while he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at CMU — Patrick Ehland represented the Tartans as a member of the varsity basketball team. He may be the only person to have played at the old Skibo Gym who helped construct the new building.

“I would never change anything about my experience as a student-athlete, I loved my experience,” he said. “My hope is this creates more opportunities for them to have those same experiences I was lucky to have, then they can look back on their four years and say they loved it as much as I do still.”

Ehland now works as a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and commissioning manager with CMU’s Campus Design and Facilities Development(opens in new window) (CDFD) department, in a role overseeing quality control. While a third-party contractor completes HVAC system testing, he resolves any issues that arise during the process.

“It was so cool to give back in a different way to the university,” Ehland said. “The facilities are amazing. It is very inspiring to see the university investing in student-athletes.”

After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 2019, Ehland worked for three years with a general contractor that helped build the Fifth and Clyde Apartments. Then, just over two years ago, as construction of the Highmark Center was already underway, he joined the CDFD staff at Carnegie Mellon. 

“In a building this big, we’re making sure all our air conditioning and other systems are working the way they should,” he said. “Because there’s such a variety of spaces, there’s a lot of variability of how things need to perform and how they should perform. A big, wide-open space like an arena is completely different from a suite of offices. Making sure all that gets in line is a challenge, but the planning that went into it from the start helped us stay on track.”

Ehland, who earned UAA Rookie of the Year in 2015-2016(opens in new window), said without hesitation that his role in adding air conditioning would have been a welcome change when he was on the court.

“I remember those 85-degree days in August, and you’re sweating just walking into the building,” he said. “It’s the biggest improvement that makes it more comfortable, and I’m happy to have been a part of that.”

Ehland said he’s glad to know his work is contributing to more student-athletes developing friendships, just as he did.

“All the guys on the basketball team were my best friends,” Ehland said, adding all his roommates were fellow team members. “You see them Monday through Friday when you’re playing, and you see them on the weekend when you’re hanging out.”

More opportunities to host other universities

Harrison Green, co-captain and president of Men’s Club Volleyball, said he has experience building that camaraderie. About 25 students play on the team from 8-10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays in the new building.

“I love being on a volleyball team and having teammates who all hang out and play together,” he said. “At the end of a long day, going to practice, then going home and going to bed is a good way to have a good routine after classes.”

The Highmark Center’s expanded playing spaces allowed the group to host a fall tournament including teams from 13 schools, such as Case Western Reserve University, Oberlin College and the University of Pittsburgh.

“Thanks to the new space, we had enough courts to support so many teams,” said Green, a senior double majoring in civil and environmental engineering(opens in new window) and engineering and public policy(opens in new window). “It was one of the biggest tournaments in the region because of the new Highmark Center.”

Green, who has served as team captain since his sophomore year, said the new space allowed for a shift in the practice schedule that gave the club team more time to play. The new space will help prepare about a dozen players to travel to the National Club Volleyball Championships in April.

“It’s really nice to play on a brand new court,” he said. “There’s a lot more energy and attention on the team.”