By Peter Castillo  

Editor-in-Chief

  CSU Bakersfield Athletics received a grant from Kern County Federal Credit Union to upgrade the blue court inside the Icardo Center.

  The Roadrunners are the only NCAA team in the nation with a blue court, which they debuted in 2011.

  Since then, the court has sustained damage which has left the floor in a state where temporary changes would not fulfill the standards of a top-flight Division I program.

  “The playing surface, no matter what we did, were not up to the standards of what we want,” said Athletics Director Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried to 23 ABC News.

  The current court is a portable design that sits above the ground. 

  This has presented a safety problems to fans and students as well, according to Seigfried.

  The new court will be built into the Icardo Center and will still be colored blue.

  The new court will be now known as “Kern Schools Court.”

  Seigfried commended Kern Schools for its generosity.

  “Kern Schools gives in so many ways to our university,” said Seigfried to gorunners.com. “They invest financially to the two most important pillars in our department.”

  The design of the floor, however, is still undecided, according to Seigfried.

  In addition, as first reported by The Runner, the men’s and women’s locker rooms will receive upgrades as well.

  The remaining money received from the grant will go towards the renovations of the locker rooms.

  The women’s basketball and volleyball teams will now have their own locker rooms.

  The men’s locker rooms will also receive further renovations.

  Central heating and air conditioning will also be installed in both locker rooms.

  These strategic upgrades are all part of a “master plan’ for athletics, according to Seigfried.

  The new court and locker room upgrades follow the addition of a new video board that was installed prior to the Fall 2018 seasons.

  The renovations are scheduled to begin this spring and will be completed in time for the 2018-2019 season.

  The locker room upgrades are scheduled to begin in March, while the court will be renovated following graduation in May.