SIOUX FALLS, S.D – As part of JLG Architects’ ongoing efforts to champion mental health within its Sports and Healthcare Studios, the firm is partnering to provide dedicated mental health rooms for student-athletes during the Summit League Basketball Championship, held March 4-8 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
This year marks JLG Architects’ second year teaming with the Summit League to offer a designated Zen Zone room at the Holiday Inn City Centre, where some athletes, coaches, and team personnel are staying during the tournament. This year, Sanford Health’s Sioux Falls team joined the project to further amplify the impact of the private room, which is designed to be a calming break space and sensory-stimulating experience.
Balancing stress at the height of competition, the Zen Zone is a wellness experience appointed with items specifically tailored to strengthen the mental health of athletes and league operations. Within a welcoming place for relaxation, meditation, and prayer, the room provides varied seating, weighted blankets, specialized lighting, calming music, and stress-relief aromatherapy, among other features.
“Sanford Health is proud to contribute towards the creation of the Zen Zone, a space specifically designed to provide collegiate athletes with the mental health support they deserve. This partnership reinforces our commitment to ensuring mental well-being is prioritized alongside physical performance. By working together, we are fostering a supportive environment where student-athletes have the tools and resilience necessary to thrive both on and off the court. Our goal is to lead the way in destigmatizing mental health, ensuring every athlete feels empowered to seek the support they need without hesitation.”
Brittney Nathan, CCLS
Lead Program Development Specialist, Sanford Health
“As architects working in collegiate athletics, our responsibility goes beyond designing places to train and compete," said Adam Davidson, Principal in JLG’s Sports Studio. “The environments we create are instrumental in promoting mental health and overall well-being, integrating dedicated recovery areas, spaces for privacy, and opportunities for connection. Thoughtful sports architecture helps reduce stress, promote balance, and ensure student-athletes are supported, not just as competitors but as people. Last year’s Summit League Championships were a great starting point, and our partnership with Sanford Health has helped put ideas to work within a holistic space that truly supports both student-athletes and coaches.”
Josh Fenton
Commissioner, Summit League
“At the Summit League, the well-being of our student-athletes is always at the forefront of our mission,” said Commissioner Josh Fenton. “The intensity of championship competition brings incredible excitement, but it also brings unique pressures. The partnership with JLG Architects and Sanford Health to provide the Zen Zone reflects our shared commitment to supporting the whole student-athlete — mentally, physically, and emotionally. We are grateful for their leadership in helping us create an environment where our student-athletes can thrive both on and off the court.”
Todd Medd
Principal Architect and Healthcare Studio Leager, JLG
“The Zen Zone may be a temporary installation in the hotel, but this is the kind of space collegiate campuses can easily replicate for long-term benefits,” said Todd Medd, JLG Principal and Healthcare Practice Studio Leader. “The same healthcare design principles we use to support mental health—such as calming environments, privacy, and sensory control—can be thoughtfully integrated into student-athlete facilities. By applying evidence-based strategies from healthcare design, colleges can create supportive spaces that promote well-being, resilience, and peak performance for their student-athletes — prioritizing both physical and mental health.”
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ABOUT THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., The Summit League is embarking on its 43rd year at the NCAA Division I level and offers 19 championship sports. The League’s nine institutions have a combined enrollment of nearly 100,000 and include five located in the top 60 U.S. metropolitan populations and two land-grant universities. Full-time member institutions are the University of Denver, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, University of Nebraska Omaha, Oral Roberts University, University of St. Thomas, University of South Dakota, and South Dakota State University.
ABOUT SANFORD HEALTH
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 55,000 employees and serves more than 2 million patients and nearly 415,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest including South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The integrated nonprofit health system includes a network of 58 hospitals, 289 clinic locations, 145 senior care communities, 4,500 physicians and advanced practice providers and 1,100 active clinical trials and studies. The organization’s transformational virtual care initiative brings patients closer to care with access to nearly 80 specialties. More than 400 residents and fellows are trained each year through graduate medical education with Sanford Health fully funding and supporting 29 of the 40 available programs. Sanford Health also includes Lewis Drug, a pharmacy and retail chain with 60 locations in three states and nearly 190 pharmacists. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at
sanfordhealth.org or
Sanford Health News.
ABOUT JLG ARCHITECTS
JLG Architects is a 100% employee-owned firm, national pacesetter, and pioneer of progressive, uncommon architectural solutions. We redefine human-centric Design Excellence with approachable innovation to advance our clients' ambitions, strengthen organizational missions, grow emerging leaders, and personalize the connection between clients and communities.
JLG’s Sports Studio doesn’t just design sports facilities — we build epic arenas of energy where championships are won, crowds roar, and athletes rise to the occasion. A national powerhouse of visionaries, players, coaches, and lifelong fans, we are leaders in multi-sport facilities, turf, court, athletic training, and arena design. JLG crafts unrivaled collegiate facilities that balance athletics, entertainment, education, sustainability, and year-round revenue-generating opportunities that bring campus and community together.
