Let there be light

Starting this fall, dusk will no longer mark the stopping time for practice on the Ash Park field. Cornell has raised the money from fans and former athletes to install lights at Ash Park, adding hours to the field’s availability for practice and games.

“It greatly extends the utility of the space,” Athletics Director John Cochrane said. “Without lights, the field is useful for practice for about three hours after classes most of the year. With the lights, it will be more like nine hours.”

Those extra hours will be needed starting in the fall, when Cornell’s lacrosse program starts practicing for the first time. And in the spring, the field has to accommodate men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and spring football practices.

The lighting system, which will cost about $200,000 to install, is part of the ongoing upgrades to the college’s outdoor athletic facilities, including the synthetic turf installed last summer.

Cochrane said the installation could begin as early as this spring.