The epicenter of the Fighting Knights Athletics Department, the Count & Countess de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center sits in the heart of the Lynn University campus. Completed in 1993, the center is the home court for the Lynn University volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball programs. Lynn’s 18 National Championship banners hang proudly from its rafters.
The de Hoernle Center houses four locker rooms, two training rooms, laundry facilities and offices for all of Lynn’s coaches and administrators. During volleyball and basketball games fans can relax in the retractable chairback seating on one side or sit close to the teams on the newly installed retractable bleachers. The combined seating capacity is 1,000.
The front lobby is home to the Wall of Fame, a space that has plaques recognizing the Fighting Knights National Championship teams, and six trophy cases which hold the many NAIA and NCAA individual and team honors of Lynn University’s 11 programs. The de Hoernle Center is not just used for athletics; the gym floor is converted at the start of each academic year for Orientation and at each year's conclusion for Commencement.
The first basketball game held on the floor came on Dec. 28, 1993, as the Lynn University women downed Michigan-Dearborn 99-72. The Lynn University men’s team played its first game on the floor two days later, besting Findlay 103-93 on Dec. 30, 1993. The first-ever Lynn University volleyball game at de Hoernle was on Sept. 12, 1996.
The McCusker Sports Complex is the home of the baseball, softball, soccer and tennis teams at Lynn University and has been the host of Sunshine State Conference and NCAA National and Regional Tournaments.
The only home Lynn University soccer has ever known, the McCusker Sports Complex Field has seen its share of shining moments in Lynn University soccer history. With its plush Bermuda grass playing surface, the field is nestled on the southwest corner of Lynn’s campus. Six national championship teams have played on the soccer field formerly known as “the graveyard.”
Team benches and accommodations for the media, game staging personnel and administrators are located on one side of the field with two sets of bleachers and a concession stand on the other side. From 1996 to 1998, the field was the place to be to witness NCAA Division II National Finals.
The Lynn women took part in the 1996 NCAA championship game while the Fighting Knights men took on Cal-Bakersfield in the 1997 title tilt. The Lynn women captured the 1998 final on the field, downing Sonoma State (Calif.) 3-1 on Dec. 6, 1998. Most recently the men’s soccer team defeated Lander University 8-0 on Nov. 10, 2005 in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals, the second largest margin of victory in the program’s illustrious post-season history.
LU’s baseball field is located on the southeast corner of campus, sharing a border with Military Trail and Potomac Road. Long home runs can be seen crossing mid-day traffic as the Blue and White play all of their games during the day.
This season the baseball field will be sporting a couple of new looks, specifically a new scoreboard in right field, new Bermuda grass infield and outfield and a crushed brick warning track. Dimensions are 315-right field, 355-right center, 405-center field, 365-left center and 325-left field.
Located adjacent to the baseball field and sharing outfield bleachers is the softball field. Its fences are 195 down the lines and 200 to straightaway center field. The softball field received a face lift in 2005, getting new Bermuda grass for the outfield as well as a crushed brick warning track.
Both men’s and women’s tennis teams host their events on the McCusker Complex’s six tennis courts. The 2004-05 season saw both the men’s and women’s tennis teams host the NCAA South Regional tournament, the first time in program history that occurred. The women’s tennis team and the men's tennis has won seven national championships while six Sunshine State Conference Championship squads have also played on these courts.
