The University of Rhode Island has opened a new outdoor track-and-field complex in Kingston and plans to host its first outdoor home meet in 32 years on April 3, 2027.
The Ocean State Cup will bring teams from other Rhode Island colleges to campus, according to the university's Oct. 23 announcement. URI held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 21.
The complex includes a nine-lane track, multiple jumping areas and a separate throwing facility for hammer, javelin, shot put and discus. Other features include bleachers, a press box with an accessible lift, a digital scoreboard and a restroom building shared with the soccer facility.
The opening is one part of a $65.8 million program of athletic-facility improvements. That figure covers the broader program, not the track alone.
Women's coach Laurie Feit-Melnick said the university looks forward to hosting the Atlantic 10 Conference outdoor championships, the Rhode Island high-school state meet, Special Olympics events, camps and clinics. The release does not give dates for those events.
Men's coach Trent Baltzell said the track runs south to north with the prevailing wind, and that events can be turned around when the wind shifts.