New for the 2011-2012 seasons, the America East Daily Word, a collaboration between AmericaEast.com and AExtra, will recap the previous day's games and on goings on our nine campuses and provide links to previews, recaps, features and exclusive coverage.

It has been a year of new venues across the America East. Stony Brook unveiled its new track and field facility with more projects still in the works. Albany announced and broke ground on its new multi-sport facility. Vermont’s Virtue Field opened this spring playing host to men’s and women’s lacrosse games.

Back in February, Boston University announced plans for New Balance Field, the future home of Terrier field hockey. A ground breaking ceremony on Thursday at the current Babcock Street parking lot, where the new field will stand, got the construction of the $24 million facility underway.

Boston U. president Robert Brown, Director of Athletics Mike Lynch, senior VP for Operations Gary Nicksa and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino joined New Balance Executive VP John Withee to unearth the first soil on Babcock Street.

“This is another giant step forward for our program, with strategic investments in programs that are vital to the continued development of our department and the enhanced national visibility of the BU Athletics' brand,” Lynch said when the project was announced.

New Balance Field will be built on top of a 350-space parking structure and provide a home to the field hockey team which has played all of its ‘home’ games off-campus since 2001.

You can view the Boston University release, here and check out a Boston Herald blog post about the ceremony.

For more of the Daiyl Word, check out the AExtra Blog.