Trine adding new inflatable dome to serve athletic programs

Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 8:22 AM

By Staff report

Trine University athletic teams will soon have another all-weather option.

The university will open a $6 million, 92,000-square-foot inflatable dome next spring, providing training, practice and competition space for sports including baseball, softball, lacrosse, soccer and football.

The new facility will feature artificial turf, new locker rooms and a controlled climate that will allow for year-round use. It will accommodate bleachers for spectators as needed.

“We’re proud to continue to support our athletic teams with state-of-the-art facilities, allowing them to build on the many successes we’ve already achieved,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine University president. “In addition, this new space will allow all our students more access to Hershey Hall, which will undergo its own extensive renovations and upgrades.”

Thunder athletic teams have captured three NCAA Division III team championships in the last two years, with softball winning in 2023 and 2025 and men’s basketball taking the title in 2024.

Soil borings are being conducted for the project, which will be located south of the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletic and Recreation Center.

Construction will begin as soon as the proper permits are issued. Michael Kinder & Sons will serve as construction manager.

The new dome will provide practice space for teams that will be temporarily displaced by the renovation of Hershey Hall, which was announced last spring as part of the university’s master plan.

In addition to the Hershey Hall renovations, the plan, which encompasses about $120 million in capital projects, includes the new Summit Street Apartments, the John and Mary Pellegrino Student Design Center, renovations to Zollner Football Stadium, and new facilities to support parking, dining, Campus Operations and the Franks School of Education.