Aug. 30—SUNY Delhi will have a ribbon-cutting and naming ceremony for a new athletic turf field Thursday, Sept. 1.

According to a media release from the college, the turf field will be named after Otego resident Neil Riddell, a 1962 SUNY Delhi graduate and lead donor for the construction of the field. The naming ceremony will take place at 3:45 p.m. on the turf field, next to the bubble on upper campus.

The new all-sports turf field "is a signature addition to SUNY Delhi Broncos NCAA Division III athletic facilities, becoming home to some of SUNY Delhi's most competitive teams, including women's soccer, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse," the release said. The facility will also have sports lighting, clocks, and a sound system. The new turf field "allows SUNY Delhi's accomplished student-athletes to train and compete at the highest level," the release said.

"This ceremony highlights what is possible when a person finds their purpose, follows their passion, and lives a life of integrity and service," said Mary Bonderoff, officer-in-charge at the college. "This beautiful new field, made possible in large part by Neil Riddell's unwavering commitment to SUNY Delhi, will serve our student-athletes and campus for generations to come."

Riddell, a member of the SUNY Delhi Athletics Hall of Fame and former vice president of the College Foundation at Delhi Inc. Board of Trustees, graduated from SUNY Delhi with a degree in business in 1962. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and spent his career running agricultural and real estate businesses throughout Central New York, the release said.

He supports and volunteers for many organizations "to pay it forward because people have helped me in my times of need," according to the release. He still officiates college soccer and high school soccer and basketball games at age 80.