University of North Texas Athletics
TFXC Tailgate Talk: Charleston Lewis
10/24/2024 8:59:00 AM | Track & Field/XC
It had been nine years since Charleston Lewis stepped foot inside a UNT Track & Field facility.
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A former thrower for the Mean Green from 2010-13, Lewis didn't know what to expect when he signed up to attend one of the program's three alumni tailgates offered during the fall semester.
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After making the trip from Houston to Denton, Lewis was greeted by a handful of current student-athletes and a tour of the new Track & Field facility that he had never seen before.
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"It was pretty cool," Lewis said. "I got a chance to meet some of the new athletes and see the new facilities. I don't know if many former athletes know that they built a whole new track facility."
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The new facility that the track and soccer programs share opened in the spring of 2019 and has a 14,000-square foot fieldhouse, a sand-based soccer field, an eight-lane track, facilities for field events and seating for approximately 1,500, which includes some covered seating and chair-back seats. The stadium includes new coaches' offices, locker rooms, a team-meeting area and a student-athlete lounge.
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"I know between track and soccer, those programs secured a few conference championships while I was there," Lewis said. "It was nice to see those two programs be able to come together in a facility that is really nice. I like the setup where they have all the trophies displayed. At the old stadium, there wasn't really a collective area for everybody, so that was nice to see they have a pretty cool lounge area for the current athletes."
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He spent the rest of his day mingling among UNT's current team and staff before taking in a Mean Green victory over Tulsa at DATCU Stadium. After his experience at the first tailgate, Lewis said he plans on returning again this Saturday on Homecoming Weekend.
 "It was really cool to see who is coming after you and seeing that they're doing well," Lewis said. "I'm definitely looking forward to meeting more student-athletes on the team. Being able to come back and show face and meet the new coaches and new athletes sounds like a standard selling point but it's actually a neat experience. I enjoyed my time going back because I hadn't been back in so long and they treated us well. I think a bigger turnout in the coming weeks would be a great thing for the program."
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The next alumni tailgate will take place Saturday, Oct. 26 prior to UNT's homecoming football game against Tulane. November 9 will be the final alumni reunion of the fall and will involve the induction ceremony for Shahaf Bareni and Rick Watkins into the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame.
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If interested in attending either of the two events, reach out to Erik Stevens (larry.stevens@unt.edu) for more information or to reserve your spot.
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A former thrower for the Mean Green from 2010-13, Lewis didn't know what to expect when he signed up to attend one of the program's three alumni tailgates offered during the fall semester.
Â
After making the trip from Houston to Denton, Lewis was greeted by a handful of current student-athletes and a tour of the new Track & Field facility that he had never seen before.
Â
"It was pretty cool," Lewis said. "I got a chance to meet some of the new athletes and see the new facilities. I don't know if many former athletes know that they built a whole new track facility."
Â
The new facility that the track and soccer programs share opened in the spring of 2019 and has a 14,000-square foot fieldhouse, a sand-based soccer field, an eight-lane track, facilities for field events and seating for approximately 1,500, which includes some covered seating and chair-back seats. The stadium includes new coaches' offices, locker rooms, a team-meeting area and a student-athlete lounge.
Â
"I know between track and soccer, those programs secured a few conference championships while I was there," Lewis said. "It was nice to see those two programs be able to come together in a facility that is really nice. I like the setup where they have all the trophies displayed. At the old stadium, there wasn't really a collective area for everybody, so that was nice to see they have a pretty cool lounge area for the current athletes."
Â
He spent the rest of his day mingling among UNT's current team and staff before taking in a Mean Green victory over Tulsa at DATCU Stadium. After his experience at the first tailgate, Lewis said he plans on returning again this Saturday on Homecoming Weekend.
 "It was really cool to see who is coming after you and seeing that they're doing well," Lewis said. "I'm definitely looking forward to meeting more student-athletes on the team. Being able to come back and show face and meet the new coaches and new athletes sounds like a standard selling point but it's actually a neat experience. I enjoyed my time going back because I hadn't been back in so long and they treated us well. I think a bigger turnout in the coming weeks would be a great thing for the program."
Â
The next alumni tailgate will take place Saturday, Oct. 26 prior to UNT's homecoming football game against Tulane. November 9 will be the final alumni reunion of the fall and will involve the induction ceremony for Shahaf Bareni and Rick Watkins into the UNT Athletics Hall of Fame.
Â
If interested in attending either of the two events, reach out to Erik Stevens (larry.stevens@unt.edu) for more information or to reserve your spot.
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