Today in the MHSAA: 10/14/19
October 14, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Many of the state’s best in girls swimming & diving led the weekend’s high achievers as they showed how far they’ve come this fall and where they might be headed with a month left in their season.
1. Girls Swimming & Diving: Rockford – No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – LPD2 No. 4 Grosse Pointe South and LPD2 No. 6 Midland Dow took the top three places at the annual Michigan Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association Meet – Swimcloud
2. Girls Swimming & Diving: LPD1 top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer defeated No. 2 Farmington Hills Mercy 119-67 in a power-packed weekend dual – We Love Ann Arbor
3. Cross Country: The LPD1 top-ranked Brighton boys and No. 5 Salem girls won titles at the 35th Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard Invitational – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 6 Bronson defeated Division 2 No. 6 Parma Western and then came back after losing the first set to defeat Division 4 No. 3 Battle Creek St. Philip in the championship match of the Parma Western Invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter
5. Cross Country: The DeWitt girls and LPD2 No. 5 Haslett boys won this year’s Greater Lansing Invitational championships – Lansing State Journal Girls | Boys
6. Volleyball: Division 3 No. 3 Kalamazoo Christian downed Division 4 No. 4 Camden-Frontier in the final to win the Hanover-Horton Invitational – Hillsdale Daily News
7. Cross Country: The LPD3 No. 2 Charlevoix boys and No. 6 Traverse City St. Francis girls won Lake Michigan Conference Meet championships – Petoskey News-Review
8. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 5 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep swept honorable mention Cadillac in the final to win the Mt. Morris Invitational – Traverse City Record-Eagle
9. Volleyball: Sault Ste. Marie swept Stephenson in the final to claim the Escanaba Elks Invitational title – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
10. Cross Country: The Detroit Catholic Central boys, Coldwater girls and both Bronson teams won championships at the 55th Sturgis Kiwanis Invitational – Sturgis Journal
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.)