Building a Technology-Rich Sports Complex at Mt. San Antonio College
By Joe da Silva
CHALLENGES The goal was to move toward a fully integrated AV and data infrastructure that could support the immediate needs of the stadium, as well as future upgrades. While the broader campus network follows a converged architecture, the stadium’s high-resolution AV content is handled through a dedicated switching and distribution system to ensure latency-sensitive signals are transmitted without interference from general The transformation of California’s Mt. San Antonio College’s (Mt. SAC) historic Hilmer Lodge Stadium into a modern, technology-rich sports complex stands as a benchmark for integrating advanced data, audiovisual (AV), and telecommunications infrastructure into collegiate athletics. A recent $100 million renovation transformed the college's 75-year-old stadium into a state-of-the-art Olympic-class facility that seats 11,000 spectators for track, field, football, and special events. Included in the renovation was an expansive 85’ x 37’ direct view light emitting diode (DVLED) display that serves as the scoreboard and presentation videowall, a new adjoining sports complex containing coaching offices, meeting facilities, active learning classrooms, locker
rooms, weight rooms, and athletic training facilities. The 60,000-square-foot stadium complex was reimagined not only as a world-class venue for track and field, but also as a digitally enabled environment capable of supporting high-performance networking, immersive media experiences, and professional-grade broadcast capabilities. This vision required architectural and structural upgrades, as well as a complete overhaul of the stadium’s data, AV, and ICT infrastructure. This case study explores the strategic planning, design, and implementation of integrated ICT systems that power the stadium’s operations, enhance the fan experience, and support academic and athletic excellence at the largest community college on the U.S. West Coast.
FIGURE 1 : A converged network architecture can reliably carry data traffic, building automation traffic, and AV system control traffic, like the one deployed at Mt. SAC. Source: Extron
mobile broadcast production to instructional AV and remote system management. In addition, the infrastructure needed to accommodate traditional enterprise data traffic, such as email, scheduling, and file sharing. The use of a converged network allowed system control and traffic management to coexist with standard IT services on the same backbone. AV integration and commissioning were executed in seven distinct phases, organized by space classification and building level, to align with the construction schedule and ensure system readiness at each milestone. The project was a collaborative effort between Mt. SAC’s IT and AV departments, facilities management, and external consultants. This multidisciplinary team worked as a cohesive unit throughout the design, construction, testing, and commissioning phases. Together, they ensured that all components, including data services, AV systems, and control interfaces, were seamlessly integrated across the stadium and adjoining sports complex. While media signals such as video and audio are distributed via dedicated copper and optical fiber cabling at the stadium, AV system control traffic
operates over the same IP backbone as other campus services. This approach aligns with Mt. SAC’s broader strategy to unify AV and IT systems across facilities. The campus’s converged network also provides a scalable foundation for future AV over Internet Protocol (IP) deployments, an approach later adopted in the college’s aquatics and gym complex, where video and audio traffic are routed over the network. CONVERGED NETWORKING A converged network is a unified digital infrastructure where video, audio, control, and data signals are transmitted over a single, scalable network. Converged networking eliminates the need for separate cable and network systems for each signal type, significantly reducing physical infrastructure complexity and operational overhead. Modern networking protocols, multicast routing, and virtual local area network (VLAN) segmentation are used to ensure multiple traffic types can run without interference. Several features should be considered when selecting network switches for environments that support high-bandwidth media and data traffic. Non-blocking
data traffic. Figure 1 illustrates the converged network structure.
DESIGN SOLUTION The design phase of the Hilmer Lodge Stadium renovation was driven by the need to implement a unified, scalable, and high-performance ICT infrastructure capable of supporting a wide range of operational scenarios, from live athletic events and
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October/November/December 2025
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