RECENTLY RENOVATED HELLAS FIELD READY FOR XAVIER PREP SOFTBALL SEASON

Phoenix, AZ (Jan 13, 2023) – Xavier College Preparatory High School’s Gators softball team is preparing for the new season on their recently renovated multi-use sports field which features a top-of-the-line Hellas turf system.

Renovation at the Gator’s new field began with removing the previous turf. Hellas crews then installed a Cushdrain® shock pad, an elastic layer paved into place over a laser-graded drainstone foundation that absorbs shock and provides planarity to the field while holding its form throughout multiple life cycles of turf. The Cushdrain improves drainage of the field and reduces athlete injuries caused by hard impacts.

Hellas’ Design Build team worked with Xavier Prep to create the new field design using Matrix Helix® turf, which features corkscrew shaped monofilament fibers that are extremely stable and durable while having shape memory technology that allows the fibers to bounce back after impact. The multi-purpose field includes lines for soccer, lacrosse, and flag football with an additional softball field.

The Helix technology in the turf fibers works to secure the field’s Ecotherm® infill preventing migration and “splash-out,” which provides a uniform playing surface with increased stability for athletes. Ecottherm infill is made of 100% recyclable materials designed to keep field temperatures up to 30°F cooler than synthetic fields that use generic SBR crumb rubber infill. In southern and southwestern states where daytime temperatures can reach well over 100°F, cooler field temperatures are extremely important to safety of players on the field.

“The multi-sport fields are much cooler with Ecotherm infill by Hellas,” says Xavier Prep Athletic Director and Vice Principal for Activities Sister Lynn Winsor. “The coaches and athletes really notice how much cooler the fields are especially as we prepare for our summer camps and clinics.” Winsor has been at Xavier Prep since 1977.

Hellas Vice President of Business Development James Towsley says, “These improvements will have a tremendous impact on player performance and safety.”

The Xavier Prep Gators are one of the winningest high school athletic programs in the United States with 149 state championships in the Title IX era. Hellas is a choice provider of synthetic turf fields, tracks, and tennis courts for K-12 schools across the nation and has operational hubs in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Wichita, and Miami.

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