The University of Notre Dame celebrated 35 years of women's athletics Saturday with a day of events.

For the softball team, a defining mark was made Saturday morning.

The university held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Melissa Cook Stadium.

Cook is a 1994 Notre Dame grad who played softball for the university.

She was killed in Chicago in 2002, after scaffolding fell onto her car from the John Hancock Center.

Cook's mother and stepfather made a three million dollar donation in her memory.

The money came from a portion of the settlement that the family received, they say the new stadium will keep Melissa’s memory alive.

Linda Demo, Melissa’s mother said, “This is the most amazing day we've had in five years. We have looked forward to this day, we are so happy, I’m on cloud nine. We just waited for this day because it's the culmination of a dream we've had.”

“That's what sets this building apart from any other that is going to be built at ND, because, this, like I said earlier- it's built on love and faith. The Demo's have turned Melissa’s tragedy into a legacy that is going to live on forever in this stadium,” said Deanna Gumpf, Notre Dame softball coach.

The $4.8 million facility will be built on the southeast corner of the Notre Dame campus, near the Eck Baseball Stadium.