David V. Wise Center

Scroll the photo gallery on the right to view some of the features of the David V. Wise Center!

ADDRESS FOR GPS
493 Highland Avenue
Meadville, PA 16335

A complete athletic facility comparable to the best among colleges Allegheny’s size, the David V. Wise Sport & Fitness Center was opened in the 1997 volleyball season. The multi-million dollar building is the hub of all indoor athletic activities on campus.

The 1,200-seat performance arena is home to the basketball and volleyball teams. The Neo-Shok floor is used by several NBA teams, including the Miami Heat. The arena’s six BPI baskets are among the best and most widely used on the market. The team locker rooms are located at court level and measure approximately 17-x-30 feet. Spectators enter the arena at street level on to a spacious concourse. The playing floor lies 15 feet below, creating a remarkable amphitheater effect. The bleachers, which include three rows of chair back seating, can be electronically compressed to create two full-length courts for basketball practices.

The Wise fitness center underwent an extensive overhaul in 2014. In the spring of that year, it was outfitted with modern cardio equipment. The ellipticals, treadmills, and stationary bikes all feature LCD screens and a fully customizable user interface.

In the summer of 2014, the main weight room received a major facelift, with dozens of pieces of brand new equipment including free weights, benches, and squat racks, all of which have their own distinct Allegheny look.

After the completion of the new weight room, the Gator athletics and recreation department unveiled a new functional training room. Located just off of the main cardio area, the functional training room features all of the necessities for cross fit and other functional workouts, including pull up bars, kettle bells, various weights of medicine balls, and much more.

The main level of the David V. Wise Center also features a sports forum, known as "The Blue Courts." The sports forum encompasses most of the upper level of the Wise Center. It is primarily used for open recreation, intramurals and physical education classes. Its 27,000 feet of floor space is roughly three-quarters the size of a football field.

A 210-meter, four-lane jogging track is suspended 14 feet above the perimeter of the sports forum.

Mellon Pool was built in 1969 as part of the Richard King Mellon Recreation building. It was dedicated on October 16, 1970 to Richard King Mellon, who was chairman of the Board of Mellon National Bank and Trust Co. The original structure included the swimming pool, diving well, six handball and squash courts, as well as classrooms and faculty offices. In 1997, the Mellon building become part of the David V. Wise Center Sports Complex.

The home for Allegheny men’s and women’s swimming and diving comes equipped with a six-lane, 25 yard swimming pool, with a separate diving well. It also holds approximately 550 spectators in the main grandstands.

The first ever NCAA Division III national championships was hosted by Allegheny College at Mellon Pool on March 19-22, 1975. The Gators would place ninth overall, while Chico State would capture the inaugural championship, with Johns Hopkins placing second.