Today in the MHSAA: 10/12/20
October 13, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
This weekend was bolstered by league and county cross country competition all over the Lower Peninsula – but the biggest headliners came from the pool as Metro Detroit and Ann Arbor-area powerhouses squared off.
1. Girls Swimming & Diving: Farmington Hills Mercy – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – edged LPD3 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood to claim the Oakland County Invitational title – Oakland Press
2. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer earned another impressive win, this time over No. 2 Saline – We Love Ann Arbor
3. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 7 St. Johns, Alma, LPD3 No. 5 St. Louis and LPD4 No. 2 Webberville boys and Okemos, LPD2 No. 12 Lansing Catholic, LPD3 No. 3 Ithaca and LPD4 No. 1 Lansing Christian girls all won Greater Lansing Invitational championships – Lansing State Journal Girls/Boys
4. Cross Country: The LPD2 No. 2 Pinckney boys edged No. 5 Chelsea 23-34 – Livingston Daily
5. Volleyball: Kingsley sent coach Dave Hall over 1,000 career wins during the Suttons Bay quad – MI Sports Now
6. Cross Country: The LPD1 No. 3 Clarkston girls and No. 8 Milford boys were champions at the Oakland County Invitational – Oakland Press Girls/Boys
7. Cross Country: The Grand Blanc, LPD2 No. 4 Frankenmuth and New Lothrop girls and Davison, Lake Fenton and LPD3 No. 11 New Lothrop boys won Greater Flint championships – Flint Journal
8. Cross Country: Clinton continued its surge with a sweep of Lenawee County Athletic Association finals – Adrian Daily Telegram
9. Cross Country: Romeo’s LPD1 No. 8 girls and top-ranked boys swept championships at the Macomb County Invitational – Macomb Daily Girls/Boys
10. Cross Country: Sault Ste. Marie swept titles at its Elks Invitational; the boys team is No. 3 in UPD1 – Escanaba Daily 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.)