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When Carleigh Vedder 鈥�24, 鈥�25 M.S. first walked into the University鈥檚 new , she says she felt starstruck. The talented athletes who were training here weren鈥檛 world-famous athletes 鈥� they were her fellow Chargers. And Vedder herself.

A Minnesota native, Vedder is a member of the . The PPC serves all student athletes, offering a world-class facility for them to train individually and as teams.

鈥淚鈥檓 big on working out, and it鈥檚 my passion,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 facility like this is beyond my wildest dreams. Having this space for student-athletes and the sense of community it offers is great.鈥�

鈥楾丑别谤别鈥檚 nothing like this鈥�

Officially opened earlier this summer, the PPC offers a multitude of opportunities for the University鈥檚 more than 500 student-athletes to up their game. Staff saw more student-athletes working out on campus over the summer, and they were charged up to be using the new space.

The new facility offers a world-class weight room full of natural light and stocked with top-of-the-line equipment, from dumbbells emblazoned with the Charger logo (the logo rotates so that the Charger is always upright, no matter how the weights are stacked) to a Charger blue and gold turf area. Student-athletes can also get in their cardio on the second level, where they can run on treadmills overlooking the weight training area.

Jonathan Mays, Ph.D., interim director of athletics, was a part of the design process. He says being in the facility now is even better than he鈥檇 ever imagined. It鈥檚 a space that, he says, is inviting, motivating for student-athletes, and exciting for prospective students.

鈥淐ompared to the rest of our conference and the region, there鈥檚 nothing like this,鈥� he said. We鈥檝e had Division I transfers and other recruits come through here. It鈥檚 state-of-the-art. It鈥檚 not just weights, but it鈥檚 sports performance. It鈥檚 everything that goes with being a better athlete.鈥�

鈥楢 place to train at a high level鈥�

The facility, which includes offices for athletics administration and coaches, also offers state-of-the-art sports medicine space, as well as a nutrition center. Giye Jenkins 鈥�25 has already been using the space. As a member of the , he believes the PPC is well-equipped to enable him and his fellow Chargers to build their strength even faster and to develop the intricate muscles they鈥檒l need to excel on the gridiron.

Jenkins lights up as he describes the new football locker room, a space he describes as 鈥渁mazing,鈥� 鈥渂eautiful,鈥� and 鈥渇irst class.鈥� It鈥檚 easy to get charged up for a game there, he says, with the TVs, speakers, and Bluetooth technology.

鈥淎fter practice, our energy and morale are so high,鈥� said Jenkins, a computer science major. 鈥淭his top-notch facility is a dream. I鈥檓 living my college football dream.鈥�

Every square inch of the facility was methodically thought out, says , head strength and conditioning coach who worked closely with the building鈥檚 architects. He says that throughout the design process, they had three important rules to follow when it came to every square inch of space: No short cuts, only the highest-quality materials and equipment, and rules one and two were nonnegotiable.

鈥淎fter two and a half years of designing this space, seeing the students鈥� faces and what the space will offer them is so rewarding,鈥� said Faugno. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun 鈥� and they can鈥檛 believe the size and the detail. From a recruiting standpoint, it鈥檚 a Division I-level space. It鈥檚 a place to train at a very high level. Coaches are experiencing the changes too, as we can recruit athletes we never could before.鈥�

鈥極ur vision鈥�

The space is not yet complete, as construction continues on the third level. When it鈥檚 finished, it will offer a team meeting room that can be split into thirds, enabling nearly 200 athletes to collaborate. That鈥檚 also where coaches will have offices, and there will be additional bathrooms. The University is also enhancing the adjacent .

The PPC is named in honor of David Peterson Jr. 鈥�88, 鈥�17 Hon., who has generously supported the development of the center. A former member of the Chargers football team and an Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Peterson is excited to see the opportunities the space will offer to today鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 student-athletes.

鈥淚 enjoy giving back to the athletics program because it makes a direct impact on student-athletes鈥� lives,鈥� said Peterson, a member of the University鈥檚 Board of Governors. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only been open a short time, and its already making a huge difference in their lives. The PPC is now one of top training facilities in the country, period. They will never regret saying, 鈥業 worked out at the PPC today.鈥� I鈥檓 proud to be a part of this transformation. We are just getting started!鈥�

鈥淎lumni support is why we鈥檝e grown so much as a school,鈥� added Jenkins. 鈥淭heir support has allowed us to renovate and enhance our facilities. Our alumni 鈥� especially our football alumni 鈥� have made us a pillar school. I鈥檓 so grateful for that.鈥�

Several generous University alumni and former student-athletes have also supported the PPC. David Loane 鈥�91 (also a football alum) and Penny Loane 鈥�91, who earned degrees in general dietetics, respectively, have offered their support of the PPC鈥檚 new nutrition station.

鈥淏eing part of the Peterson Performance Center and adding a nutrition component to this facility was extremely important to us,鈥� they said. 鈥淲hen we started talking about how to help the athletes, it was always our vision to get a nutrition center with a nutrition bar, grab-and-go meals for athletes, a nutrition professional to help educate and assist athletes, and an athletic cafeteria.鈥�

鈥楤eing a student-athlete is a unique 黑料社鈥�

The nutrition professional is Caroline 鈥淭ing鈥� Ashworth 鈥�25 M.S., who is also an 黑料社d student-athlete. Ashworth has played soccer since she was in the second grade. Interested in ensuring that she always performed her best, she became interested in nutrition when she was a senior in high school.

After earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree in nutrition sciences from Drexel University, Ashworth decided to pursue her master鈥檚 degree in nutrition sciences at the University of New Haven. A sports nutrition graduate assistant, she is committed to making sure Chargers feel and perform their best. She鈥檚 already been creating a wide array of tasty, energy-packed smoothies and other treats to ensure that student-athletes are fully charged and ready to excel.

Ashworth hopes to eventually expand her role beyond creating wholesome foods for student-athletes. She envisions teaching them to take their nutrition into their own hands, perhaps by offering student-athletes the chance to learn how to cook and prepare healthy foods, such as energy bowls. She鈥檚 looking forward to meeting with teams and with athletes one-on-one during the academic year.

鈥淚鈥檓 building a fueling station beyond proteins and bars,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want athletes to have access to whole foods such as yogurt and fruit. I think making an impact on athletes鈥� performance, as well as their lives, is so important. I want them to know how to eat well outside of athletics. I鈥檓 excited to build this from the ground up.鈥�

Vedder, the volleyball player and marketing and nutrition sciences major, is also looking forward to taking advantage of the nutrition station and to working with Ashworth when she鈥檚 in the PPC. She also had the opportunity to meet David and Penny Loane at an event 鈥� and she says meeting them was a bit like walking into the PPC for the first time.

鈥淚 was starstruck when I met them,鈥� she said. 鈥淧enny Loane is a dietitian, and seeing their success and the pride they had coming here was incredible. Being a student-athlete is a unique 黑料社, and having this space for us, as well as the support of the Charger community, is great.鈥�