Pat Paterson Field

The Pat Paterson Field, dedicated on October 9, 1998, is the home field of the men’s and women’s soccer and fastpitch softball teams at Hamline University. Paterson Field gives all three teams a valuable home field advantage as well as a superb playing surface.

Incorporated in the field is a state-of-the-art irrigation and natural turf system, which helps allow for extensive use for varsity games, athletic practices, and physical education classes

The fields are built with “Netlon Mesh Elements” which give it a variety of advantages - the most important being increased drainage of the turf, allowing for athletic play in all conditions.

Mesh elements are made out of Polypropylene, which is non-toxic, insoluble, and non-absorbent, making the surface stable but not hard. Netlon is also self-cultivating and resists soil compaction. This causes the reduction of surface hardness, increased footing stability, increased stability for surface vehicle traffic, and significantly improved field drainage.

The same turf system used at Hamline was also used on the soccer fields at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Also included in the complex is a baseball practice infield and fastpitch softball field (Helen Meredith Field).

The complex is named for Pat Garletz Paterson, a 1930 Hamline graduate. Following her graduation from Hamline in 1930, Paterson taught physical education at Hamline for more than 40 years, teaching every sport except football. She was included in the 1966-68 edition of “Who’s Who in American Women” and was honored as the first woman inducted into Hamline’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Her interests included music, theater, and British History. In addition, she helped set up youth hostels in Minnesota in the 1930s. Paterson was a member of the Hamline CLA Alumni Board. She was also on the board of the American Lung Association for more than 20 years, receiving its highest honor in 1984, the Herman Klienman Award.

For more than 60 years Paterson supported Hamline University as a student, an educator, and alumna. She died in December of 1996, leaving her estate to Hamline. The fields were named to honor her legacy.

The fastpitch softball field is named for Helen Kreutz Meredith, a 1935 graduate of Hamline University. Meredith returned to Hamline as part of the health and physical education staff from 1938-45.

Up until the opening of the facility in 1998, the soccer teams shared Norton Stadium with the football team. The fastpitch softball team played games at Dunning Field in St. Paul.