HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony during move-in weekend to celebrate the grand opening of the one-story, 7,810 square-foot building as the permanent home for the HPU Rowing Boathouse, which will be utilized by the Division I and Club Rowing teams.

HPU Athletic Director and Vice President Dan Hauser, Club Rowing Head Coach Burt Whicker, and DI Rowing Head Coach Jessica Deitrick all spoke on the milestone moment, the impact the new facility brings to the community and rowing programs, and how grateful they are to the City of High Point and University officials.
Families, community members, special guests, HPU staff and student-athletes watched as Deitrick and a trio of student-athletes cut a large, purple ribbon to mark the official opening of the new boathouse. Then, the boathouse doors — donned in High Point University branding — opened for the first time to all in attendance to witness history. 

"There are moments in coaching that you know you are going to remember for the rest of your life, and standing here today looking around this boathouse, is one of those moments for me," Deitrick said. "When I think about what this building means, I don't just think about the boats, oars, or a beautiful new facility, I think about people. I think about the athletes who started the club team in 2012 and wore High Point University uniforms and trained on this lake before we had a place to call home. I think about the countless early mornings, the alarm clocks, the cold days, the long practices, the races, the setbacks, the breakthroughs, and all of the moments our athletes chose to keep showing up. I think about the people who believed High Point University Rowing could become something special and today is a celebration of that belief. The boathouse is a physical representation of how far this program has come, but more importantly, a statement about where we are going."
 
In January 2023, HPU announced the addition of rowing as a Division I sport with a $7 million investment. The Panthers hired Deitrick as its inaugural head coach in May 2024 as HPU rowing had its first season of competition in 2024-25.

HPU worked with the City of High Point, Freeman Kennett Architects, and the Dunbar Smith Construction Firm to solidify plans for the new boathouse located in High Point on Oak Hollow Lake at 1310 Timberlane Dr.

"We are blessed here at High Point University to live in High Point, the City of High Point, and have a city that supports our university," Hauser said. "We got an unanimous vote for this project to happen and to occur, and we could not do that without a wonderful city relationship and city partnership. We talk at High Point that we are High Point's University, and this city shows that every time that they really are behind us and supporting our athletes — and that's outstanding."

The boathouse will store boats and equipment while serving as a space for team meetings, lockers and gear. HPU practices at Oak Hollow Lake and has plans to host regattas in the future. 
 
"To our University and City of High Point leadership, thank you," Deitrick said. "Thank you for believing in this program and investing in the future of our student-athletes. To our Athletic Department, thank you for the partnership and everything you do behind the scenes to give our athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level. To our donors, supporters, families, alumni and friends of High Point University Rowing, thank you. Every contribution, every conversation, every encouraging word, and every person who chose to believe in this program, helped get us here. And to the coaches who have been a part of this program, past and present, thank you for laying the foundation. No program is built by one person; it's built over time, who care deeply enough to keep pushing it forward. And finally, to our current student-athletes, this building belongs to you, but it also belongs to the women who will come after it. You are now a part of the history of this program."