Dayton Flyer athletes are now enjoying the weather, the start of several sport seasons and a brand new place to ace their class work.

Over the summer, the University of Dayton unveiled the Anthony A. Riggs Academic Center on the second floor of the Frericks Center as a modern upgrade for the over 350 student athletes at the school.

The renovated facility now includes 54 work stations along with two conference/tutor rooms and renovated offices for the three academic coordinators in athletics.

Construction on the center began in mid-May 2010 and concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Dr. Daniel Curran, the university's president, on Aug. 10. The total costs of the project were not disclosed through the university at the request of Anthony Riggs and his wife Sheila.

"I know I'm going to take full advantage of it, and I've already designated three spots in the room that I prefer to be at," men's basketball player Josh Benson said in a http://www.DaytonFlyers.com promotional video from the unveiling. "But it's just a blessing, and it's an accomplishment for us as a university."

The new center bolsters an academic program already considered one of the best in the nation. UD student athletes have a combined cumulative GPA of 3.227, and over 270 athletes were named to the Honor Roll of the Atlantic 10 Conference or Pioneer Football League last academic year.

Additionally, Dayton leads the A-10 with a Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 97.38, ranking in the top 25 in the country. Nine different Flyer teams and six head coaches also rank well above the national average in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate.

"We graduate our student athletes at a very high level," academic coordinator Beth Flach said. "So we are not just talking the talk when they come here, and when we talk about being a student athlete, they actually are just that, and they are getting the student experience. What is most important is life when they leave here and preparing them for that life."

Academic coordinator Vera Gomes, who along with Flach was displaced from her office with the renovation, said the facility "was very different" last school year. She said the upgrades follow through with the entire philosophy of the UD academic services office.

"Our motto here is 'one more': one more win, one more A, one more better GPA, one more student in the community and thus, one more child that we can touch," Gomes said. "We will never settle, and we are always looking to be better than we already are. We are very proud of our accomplishments, but we know we can always do better, and we can always find room for improvement."

This steady drive for success has led the Flyers to many recent academic accolades, and the future looks bright thanks to Riggs' donation.

"There is nothing more important to me than a college education," Riggs said alongside his wife during the unveiling. "And it is our job as individuals, whatever our job may be, to make sure that the people who walk through these doors for the last time have got the best education they could have."