The Student Recreation Center Natatorium, located directly north of Blue Bell Park and across the street from Kyle Field on the west side of the A&M campus, is the home of the Aggie men's and women's swimming and diving teams.
The natatorium is situated on the first floor of the $36.4 million, 286,000 square foot Student Recreation Center, which was officially opened in October, 1995.
The facility showcases a 50-meter, eight-lane competition pool equipped with two moveable bulkheads which allow for a conversion to either two 25-yard or 25-meter courses. The pool has graduated depths of seven to nine feet. Additional features include two underwater viewing windows and an electronic timing system with eight-lane display.
Also featured is a 17-feet deep dive pool that contains one, three, five, seven-and-one-half and 10-meter diving platforms, in addition to permanent and portable springboards and a bubbler and agitators. In addition, the diving well doubles as an eight-lane, 25-meter pool.
Adjacent to the dive pool is a 20-yard, five-lane instructional pool equipped for swimmers with special needs. The pool features graduated depths of 3.5 to 4.5 feet.
Other highlights are a swim meet operations room that can also be used as a classroom, staff offices for coaches, varsity and visiting team men's and women's locker rooms and showers and both 10-and 12-person heated Jacuzzi spas. In addition, a snack bar with hot and cold foods, seating and a large screen TV is located in the lobby near the building's entrance.
The Center's second level encompasses permanent on-deck spectator seating for 1,100 with an additional 1,200 spaces available.
An added facility bonus is an outdoor activity area which features a zero-depth entry leisure pool with a raindrop fountain, current channel, sun island and underwater seating area. The pool is connected to a 25-yard, six-lane lap pool and is adjoined by a large cool water Jacuzzi spa.
The natatorium hosted A&M’s first-ever NCAA Championship event in 2001, the men’s swimming & diving championships, then held the women’s national meet three years later in 2004. It also played host to both NCAA Championships in 2009 and was the home of the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships in February 2013.
In December 1998, the Student Rec Center Natatorium hosted two prestigious events in the world of swimming. The FINA World Cup was held at the facility Dec. 1-2, 1998, followed by the U.S. Open on Dec. 3-5.
The facility, which served as the host site of the final men's and women's Southwest Conference (SWC) Championships in 1996, also served as the host of both the inaugural Big 12 Conference Championships in 1997.
QUICK FACTS
- Opened: October 1995
- Capacity: 1,100
- Cost: $36.4 million (cost of entire Rec Center)
- Pool Specs: 50-meter, eight-lane competition pool; graduated depths of seven to nine feet
- Dive Well Specs: 17-feet deep; contains one, three, five, seven-and-one-half and 10-meter diving platforms; also doubles as eight-lane, 25-meter pool