One of Illinois Tech’s athletic facilities received a slight makeover recently. On the east and west sides of the gymnasium, eight different Illinois Tech athletes for all 16 of the university’s sponsored sports are represented. The banners are a strong symbol of Illinois Tech’s emphasis on the total student-athlete experience, as each one proudly displays the athlete’s major.

In addition to the student-athlete banners, horizontal banners reading “Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks” have been added at the top of the bleachers on each side of the main court.

“Our Marketing and Communications Department did a great job creating new branding for our gym that highlights the diversity and excellence of our student-athletes,” said Assistant Director of Athletics and Head Men’s Soccer Coach Marc Colwell. “We wanted the new banners to display the strong academic and athletic backgrounds of our student-athletes and programs, which is strongly represented with the new banners.”

The banners are just the latest of a long line of improvements in the Keating Sports Center under the tenure of Athletic Director Joe Hakes. Since the start of the 2015 school year, the main court has also seen the installation of a brand new floor, a state-of-the-art and energy-effecient LED lighting system, two new and enlarged Daktronics scoreboards, three new custom-branded scorer’s tables, and window tint to enahnce the building’s asthetics and reduce overall heat.

Fans can check out the Keating Sports Center and its new additions in action on Tuesday, September 12 when the Women’s Volleyball team opens the 2017 home scheule with a match against Concordia University Chicago. All home matches will have live audio, video, and statistics provided. The live audio will be powered by Illinois Media School.