In the latest step toward achieving the goals of its fundraising campaign announced in the fall of 2025, Central Methodist University broke ground on Thursday, October 29 for a soccer-specific athletic facility known as Alexander Field. A significant crowd was on hand for the event, as members of the CMU and Fayette communities came together to celebrate the groundbreaking.
Part of the Athletics focus area of Eagle Pride: The Campaign for Central’s Future, Alexander Field will be the new home of CMU’s varsity and reserve soccer teams for both men and women. The facilities will be the main site for Eagle soccer home games and will allow the teams dedicated training time that has historically been at a premium with so many teams sharing the current facilities at Davis Field.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Roger Drake, president of CMU, thanked the special guests in attendance, primarily the Alexander family, the namesake for the field. Drake recognized Barbara Alexander ’56, who along with her late husband, Fred, donated the land where the facility will be built.
“Today, we celebrate your family’s generosity and your enduring connection to Central,” Drake said. “We’re proud to have the Alexander name be associated with this field and the opportunities it will provide for generations of students.”
Drake went on to acknowledge the dedication of the Alexander family to not only CMU, but to Fayette and Howard County. He said he regrets that Fred Alexander ’58, the longtime CMU board member and President’s Medal recipient who passed away in March at the age of 90, was not able to be on hand for the occasion.
Drake’s sentiments were echoed by Dr. Nancy Peacock ’82, chair of the board of trustees, who thanked the Alexanders for their belief in the students and future of CMU. Peacock also emphasized the board’s optimism about CMU’s future and belief that the investments made through the Eagle Pride campaign will continue to enhance the student experience.
“Great facilities build pride in our campus. They give our students a place where they are excited to come and compete and strengthen the sense of belonging that encourages students to stay,” she said. “Ongoing student recruitment and retention are of the highest priority for Central, and investments like this help us support those priorities.”
Dan Schmidlin ’10, head coach of the Eagle women’s soccer team, expressed his gratitude of all involved, thanking the board of trustees, the senior staff, members of the athletics staff, players and coaches, and their families.
“This is something that we’ve been looking forward to, hoping for, and now it’s actually here, and it’s going to be one of the best facilities in the entire country,” said Schmidlin. “We couldn’t be more blessed.”
The event concluded with the digging of a “ceremonial first hole” by John States and Shea Ensor of Little Dixie Construction and Ampere, Central’s partners in the construction; Peacock and board of trustees vice chair Terry Henderson ’83; Barbara and son Rick Alexander; Drake; Schmidlin; and men’s head coach Adam Galla ’11.