John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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With construction set to be completed in July, 2019, and a "topping off ceremony" scheduled for Monday, here is an update on the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center which is taking shape adjacent to the existing Rutgers Athletic Center.

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Steel structure is complete

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

During a baseball game in March, athletic director Pat Hobbs looked across the street to the steel structure taking shape. Three months later the topping off ceremony will celebrate the placement of the final piece of steel.

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Not just a practice facility, says Hobbs

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

According to the athletic department, the sports medicine side will be staffed by "athletic trainers, physical therapists, sports medicine physicians, orthopedic surgeons, sports psychologists, psychiatrists and other behavioral health specialists, sports performance specialists and nutritional experts."

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Pools go in first

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Before the steel began to rise, photo above, pools were installed for the treatment of the athletes in the sports medicine department.

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125,000 square feet for $115 million

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

That works out to roughly $960 per square foot of space in the athletic performance center itself. This figure does not include an additional 170,000 square feet of parking. The funding comes from an $18 million investment from RWJBarnabas and support from the "R Big Ten Build" campaign.

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Home to four teams

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The wrestling team will move up to the new facility from the College Avenue Gym in New Brunswick, along with gymnastics and men's and women's basketball, which will only need to move from the RAC next door.

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Cafe and souvenirs

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

According to an athletic department release, the new building "will include a café serving healthy meals to student-athletes, as well as a merchandise store open to the general public."

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Catching up to football

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The topping ceremony comes ten months after the opening of the $8.5 Rutgers Football Marco Bataglia Practice Complex, above, and two years after the unveiling of the $1.65 Joanna and Ron Garutti Strength and Conditioning Center at the Hale Center.

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John Munson may be reached at jmunson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @john_munson. Find NJ.com on Facebook.