Jackson Field suffered damage after being played upon in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

The heavy rainfall from Hurricane Irene swamped the sports fields on campus, notably Jackson Field, which currently remains unplayable. Jackson Field suffered damage after Middletown residents played on it shortly after the storm hit.

“The field is in pretty bad shape,” said men’s soccer team member Ian Waldron ’13.“I guess local kids from the community were playing on it the day of the hurricane, like right after it came through, so it was soaked. It was pretty much a wetland at that point, so them playing on it tore it up fairly badly.”

Due to the field’s poor condition and in order to prevent further harm, both the Men and Women’s Soccer teams have been playing their games on the practice fields behind Freeman Athletic Center. According to Director of Public Safety Dave Meyer, urged students to avoid walking on the soggy fields.

“All of the fields are susceptible to damage, especially when it’s as wet as it has been,” he said. “We’re urging people to stay off of them if possible, and to use them for their intended purpose.”

According to Meyer, the damage has mostly been repaired. Waldron said that he has observed some of the restoration efforts and has been informed that it will soon be available for games.

“I saw [Stonehenge Landscape company] over there with a cart, hitting the ground with rakes,” he said. “I think they’re trying to repair it but it kind of looks like a desert right now. I guess they’re saying it will be playable in the near future.”