Today in the MHSAA: 10/1/15
October 1, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A pair of neat stories on three-sport athletes are worth your time today as we prepare for another full weekend and celebrate our first MHSAA champions.
Girls Golf
Lower Peninsula Division 2 top-ranked Midland Dow captured the first of what it hopes will be multiple championships this fall, winning its third straight Saginaw Valley League title – Saginaw News
St. Joseph, No. 7 in Division 2, claimed the Southwest Michigan Athletic Conference championship by 31 strokes with a score of 338 – Kalamazoo Gazette
Boys Soccer
Ortonville Brandon, No. 19 in Division 2, notched its ninth shutout of the season and sixth straight win by blanking Linden 2-0 – Flint Journal
Girls Tennis
Munising clinched its first MHSAA title, edging Iron Mountain by a point to win Upper Peninsula Division 2 in the first postseason final of this school year – Second Half
Volleyball
Tri-County Conference rivals Clinton and Adrian Madison played five sets Tuesday, none decided by more than four points in Clinton’s win to stay undefeated in the league – Adrian Daily Telegram
Good Reads
Since joining the Sanford Meridian varsity during Week 2 of 2012, four-year quarterback Christian Petre has a 25-9 record and has the Mustangs off to a 5-0 start. He also plays baseball and is a reigning MHSAA champion in the 100 meters – Midland Daily News
The Dean family is synonymous with Lowell football (and wrestling too), with Noel Dean the longtime football coach and Zeth Dean on the team now – along with his sister, Darby, the kicker this fall – Grand Rapids Press
Holland West Ottawa Athletics Complex Recognized with National Award
December 12, 2023
Holland West Ottawa Public Schools’ new athletics complex, with architectural firm GMB, has been recognized as the top multi-field facility nationally by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities.
West Ottawa’s new stadium consists of two turf playing fields. The west field was designed deliberately without a surrounding track to bring the stands and field closer together with a central tunnel beneath the grandstands for the home team to enter onto the field. The same synthetic turf, light posts, and state-of-the-art audio/video systems are utilized on both fields for an equitable experience for all users.
Multiple ground-level entry points with access to the fields, barrier-free locker rooms and multiple seating options with elevator access also create accessibility for spectators, players, coaches, and support staff.
“This facility allows our students the opportunity to play in one of the premier complexes in the state of Michigan,” said Jeff Malloch, assistant superintendent of business services at West Ottawa Public Schools. “We have seen continued interest in lacrosse, football, and soccer, and this complex will be utilized by our community youth from elementary age to high school student-athletes.”
Adding elevated fan experiences, such as a concourse level between the upper and lower sections of the home stands, bigger bleachers, and updated concession stands and restrooms establish a venue for multiple sports and attract the entire community to utilize the facility.
“This is a one-of-a-kind facility for West Michigan, and it’s been wonderful to see student-athletes from across the state enjoy the complex’s unique amenities,” said Nate Bosch, a landscape architect with GMB. “The collaboration needed to make this project come to life was an inspiring process to be a part of, and we are so pleased to celebrate this accomplishment with West Ottawa.”
This is the first time a GMB project has been awarded a multi-field facility of the year honor by the ASBA. GMB also has received four Project of the Year honors in the outdoor tennis category and 20 distinguished awards from ASBA for other athletic facility projects over the past 12 years.
(Photos by M-Buck Studio.)