Coastal Carolina University dedicating sports complex after $5 million gift

When Alyssa Girkins arrived on campus as a freshman, most of her family knew nothing about Coastal Carolina University.

Now in her final semester, she said that’s changed.

“It’s definitely gotten its name out there a lot more in the last four years,” Girkins said.

So what led her relatives on the West Coast to discover CCU?

Sports.

“We started making ourselves known,” she said.

On the heels of a banner sports year, CCU will celebrate another athletics milestone Friday when the campus officially renames its sports facilities. They will now be known as the TD Sports Complex.

The university is changing the name to reflect a $5 million gift TD Bank made to CCU last year. The complex serves the university’s sports teams, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, softball, track and field and women’s lacrosse.

A ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at the Brooks Stadium entrance.

CCU saw unprecedented sports success last year.

The Chanticleers made a deep playoff run in football and the men’s basketball squad reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years. Overall, the university won three regular season crowns and five tournament titles.

University President David DeCenzo said the accomplishments of CCU athletics have garnered national attention.

“Academics comes first, but athletics really puts the sunshine on an institution,” he said. “You cannot have a thriving, comprehensive institution without a solid athletic program.”

As with much of the campus, some of the sports facilities have undergone major renovations in recent years. Others remain under construction.

Here’s a snapshot of some of those projects:

Softball/baseball complex upgrades

Tennis complex

HTC Center

This story was originally published September 11, 2014 at 11:14 PM with the headline "Coastal Carolina University dedicating sports complex after $5 million gift."