Athletic department makes $72,049 in upgrades to student fitness center

By Izabela Gage

Editorial Staff

The Framingham State Athletic Department completed phase two of its three-phase initiative to replace the equipment in the fitness center in June 2025, according to Deputy Athletic Director Carey Eggen.

The equipment installed included two treadmills, five elliptical machines, eight adjustable benches, two adjustable ab benches, two stationary bikes, a free-weight preacher curl bench, and a utility bench, according to Eggen.

Athletic Director Thomas Kelley said Matrix Fitness, a company that specializes in commercial gym equipment, designed and installed the upgraded machines for phases one and two.

Kelley said, “A lot of the equipment was breaking down, obsolete, and unrepairable. We decided to upgrade it - so here we are, and here we be.”

Eggen said, “The cost was $72,049. We submitted and were selected to complete our project utilizing Capital Adaptation and Renewal funding. Each year, the University strives to fund upgrades to our student and learning spaces. Determinations are made by reviewing identified needs and prioritizing funding during the annual budget process.”

Daily maintenance of the gym is funded through the athletic department’s trust fund budget, according to Eggen. 

Eggen said there are multiple reasons the department prioritized the project. “Safety, user experience, and a competitive advantage for recruiting would be the top three in my eyes, which doesn’t even address the benefits specifically for our student-athletes.”

Kelley said it’s important that the fitness center be up to speed. “It's mind, body, spirit. It’s part of being healthy and quality of life.”

He said after the pandemic, the number of people using the campus gym had decreased, but he hopes the upgrades will help get it “back to where it was before the pandemic.”

Eggen said student input played an important role in the decision to move forward. “It was much needed. We heard the student voice through the Student Trustee, SGA, and our own student-athletes.”

Eggen said the athletic department is still working on finalizing its request for phase three, but the estimated installation is June of 2026.

She added she does not have a concrete answer for what phase three will entail. “However, I will be submitting a request for what we are calling ‘Phase Three Fitness Center Upgrades.’”

Kelley said, “Hopefully, we're going to be adding a strength, conditioning, and performance coach, and we're going to probably lean on that person to see what they think about stage three. So we're going to meet on that, and we've got a little bit of time before we get to phase three.”

Senior Owen Swanbon, a goaltender for the men’s ice hockey team, said, “It’s good to see that the school is putting effort into making our athletic facilities better for our athletes and students.”

He added he thinks the improved machines will be easier to use, which will motivate more people to use the facility, and, in turn, positively impact students’ health and athletes’ performances. 

Junior Charlie Karp said, “It’s always nice to have new equipment to use, and there are marked improvements in some of the new equipment.

“I think it may encourage people who otherwise wouldn’t work out to give it a try, but I doubt the number of actual gymgoers will change significantly. If people want to work out, they find a way,” he added.

He said he hopes to see a new leg press machine added in phase three, as the current one has a “weird angle and insufficient weight.”

Senior Zophie Greenwald, president of FSU’s dance team, said she thinks people will be more likely to use the free gym on campus now that there is updated equipment. “This will be more cost-effective for many students who already have a lot of other expenses in their lives and cannot or do not want to fit a gym membership into their budget.”

She added, “I do think there could honestly be a few more improvements that could be made. As someone who heavily relied on the Smith machines when at previous fitness centers, I personally wish the updates to the gym included at least one of those. I just prefer the amount of security you have in those machines as opposed to a free barbell rack with weight plates in a gym.”

Sophomore Allison Wurms, a member of the women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams, said she is more willing to use the gym on campus now that there are upgraded machines and equipment.

She added, “I think the upgrades will benefit student-athletes because they are able to get more efficient and better workouts in, which would help them build and maintain muscle throughout the offseason and during their regular seasons.”

She said the next phase should include better weighted ab machines and upgraded free weights.

Senior Trey Gayne said the gym has improved since the athletic department has made upgrades. “As a senior, it's been better, especially because during my first year, it was rough.”

He said he’s excited there’s safer equipment to work with. “Some of those weights were like rusting off the side when I was first starting here. … It gives everybody more of a chance, including people who aren't athletes.”