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Warmerdam Field has been playing host to Fresno State home meets since its construction in 1976. The nine-lane, 400-meter on-campus facility is named after Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam, the former Fresno State head coach and world record holder in the pole vault.
Warmerdam was the first vaulter to clear 15 feet, a height once considered insurmountable. A seven-time United States AAU pole vault champion, Warmerdam held the world pole vault record for four years (1940-43) while using a bamboo pole in a sawdust pit. Warmerdam competed at Fresno State in the 1930s and later served as head coach for 20 years before retiring in 1980.
The track was resurfaced in 1989 by nationally-regarded Balsom America Track Co. The new surface consists of a 60 percent polyurethan base mixed with 40 percent EPDM rubber. The EPDM rubber (pure resilient rubber) and polyurethane (the most resilient substance manufactured) combine to form a very responsive and fast surface which should enhance performances. Balsom also produced the surface at Brigham Young University, the host site of the 1989 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Warmerdam Field, the site of the 2001 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, seats 1,000 fans and all timing there is done by Accutrack. The first-ever dual meet held at Warmerdam was on April 23, 1977, when Fresno State hosted California.