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THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF FORDHAM UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Facilities - Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic CenterCapacity: 1,000
Hosts: Swimming & Diving, Water Polo


Located in the Vincent T. Lombardi Memorial Center and named for one of Fordham’s most famous alumni is the Colonel Francis B. Messmore Aquatics Center, home of the Fordham Swimming and Diving and Water Polo programs.  The 40-meter pool has eight lanes and adjustable bulkheads for competition by either meters or yards. 

Diving facilities include two three-meter boards, two one-meter boards and a trampoline with an overhead spotting rig.  The pool also features a dry land exercise deck area, and the diving well allows for separate areas for instruction and warming up.

In addition, the Messmore Pool has an eight-lane scoreboard with a Colorado Timing system, and seating for 1,000.  The Lombardi Center Pool was renamed in 1999  to honor Col. Francis B. Messmore, FC '38, GBA '74, by his wife, Dorothy.

In 2003-04, a new bulkhead was installed and the pool underwent numerous renovations, including new lighting, new timing systems and scoreboard, a fresh coat of paint and new tiles.  A water polo scoreboard, timing system, and floating goals were then installed prior to the 2006 season.

The Messmore Aquatic Center has seen plenty of recent success from both the swimming & diving team and the water polo squad.  In 2022, the water polo team won the MAWPC title in its home pool after capturing a share of the CWPA Northern Division Championship in 2009. The women's swimming & diving team won the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship and has finished second at the Championship in 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014.

The Messmore Aquatic Center has also been a championship site for the Patriot League Swimming & Diving Championship in 1991 and 1994, and hosted the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship in 2018 and 2022.
 

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