In 1996, the University of Virginia Aquatic and Fitness Center was opened. This massive, 98,000 square-foot, $18.5 million facility features a 50-meter Olympic-sized pool, a warm-water pool, a whirlpool and sauna, exercise areas and locker rooms, classrooms, a dining area and a bookstore. The Center was built to improve the training abilities of the Cavaliers, who previously lacked an Olympic-sized pool. In 2009, a 5-meter platform tower was added to the facility, a missing piece that was key to the growth of the diving program.