Two Midwest athletic departments replaced end-of-life synthetic surfaces this summer, with Sprinturf contracted on both projects – a football field in Illinois and the baseball facility that started the D-III synthetic turf trend in Wisconsin.
Western Illinois: Hanson Field
Western Illinois University selected SprinTurf LLC after a competitive bid process to replace the playing surface at Hanson Field ahead of the 2026 football season. The contractor installed its Predator system, a hybrid build combining monofilament and slit-film fibers, chosen for durability, fiber resilience, and playability. Sprinturf reports more than 3,500 fields installed nationwide, with domestically manufactured turf products.
The old surface had reached the end of its service life. WIU pointed to the standard industry expectation of roughly 10 to 12 years and spelled out the failure pattern behind it: fiber breakdown from use and UV exposure, infill compaction that hardens the field and costs it shock absorption, and seam and glue-joint failures that grow more frequent – all affecting playability and, unmonitored, injury risk.
Completion was set for early August, with a redesigned field carrying the Rocky Head mascot logo and Ohio Valley Conference marks. Acting Administrator in Charge of WIU Athletics Jeremy Robinett tied the funding to revenue generated by guarantee games, framing the work as an investment for athletes and for the campus and community groups that use Hanson Field.
UW-Whitewater: Prucha Field
Sprinturf, based in South Carolina, spent four days in early August replacing turf at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium. The scope was partial rather than a full-field rebuild: the infield, foul territory behind the basepaths, and a narrow strip on the outfield side of the infield. The wider capital project also delivers a new press box behind home plate, named for longtime Warhawks public address announcer Tom Lange, who worked home games from 1976 to 2022.
It is the facility’s first renovation since 2009 – and head coach John Vodenlich notes that the 2009 installation made Whitewater the first program in the country with a synthetic turf baseball field. He counts more than 20 today.
Crew lead James Hunter, who works out of Indiana and runs roughly 40 installations a year, described a straightforward sequence: strip the old surface, lay a fine gravel and stone base, roll out the new turf, and bond the seams with adhesive strips. The infield section is manufactured in brown. Sand and crumb rubber go down last as infill. Hunter put the expected service life at 10 years or more. Per Sprinturf’s product literature, the fiber construction pairs monofilament with parallel-fibrillated fibers.
The all-weather payoff extends past the home program. After close to three inches of rain fell in the four days ahead of a WIAA Division 1 sectional scheduled at Janesville’s Riverside Park in June, the games shifted to Prucha Field, where Milton High School won and advanced to the state tournament.
Why it matters for suppliers
Both jobs are replacements, not new builds. As the wave of collegiate synthetic installations from the late 2000s passes 15 years, replacement work rather than greenfield construction increasingly drives volume – and Whitewater, as the first turfed college baseball field anywhere, is effectively the leading edge of that cycle for the diamond sports.
About Sprinturf:
Sprinturf manufactures and installs American-made synthetic turf systems for college, high school, and professional facilities across the US. Visit Sprinturf →
