Today in the MHSAA: 10/19/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 19, 2023
1. BOYS SOCCER Plainwell downed No. 2 Richland Gull Lake 2-1 to claim a Division 2 District title – Kalamazoo Gazette
2. BOYS SOCCER No. 7 Oxford claimed its first District title since 2014 with a 3-2 win over No. 8 Clarkston in Division 1 – Oakland Press
3. CROSS COUNTRY The Shepherd girls and Gladwin boys – the latter ranked No. 14 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – finished Jack Pine Conference title runs, Shepherd for its 14th-straight league title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
4. VOLLEYBALL Madison Heights Lamphere finished a repeat run in the Macomb Area Conference Silver with a four-set win over Warren Mott – C&G Newspapers
5. BOYS SOCCER No. 11 Kingsford claimed a Division 3 District championship with a 5-1 win over Grayling – Iron Mountain Daily News
6. CROSS COUNTRY The LPD1 No. 13 Davison girls and No. 10 Bay City Western boys won the Saginaw Valley League championship races – Midland Daily News
7. BOYS SOCCER No. 8 Alma claimed a Division 3 District title with a 2-1 win over Traverse City Christian – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
8. CROSS COUNTRY Breckenridge swept the Mid-State Activities Conference championships at the final league jamboree, the LPD4 No. 11 girls team clinching for the second-straight year. The Breckenridge boys are an honorable mention in LPD4 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
9. CROSS COUNTRY The LPD2 No. 5 Zeeland East girls and Zeeland West boys repeated as Ottawa-Kent Conference Green champions – Holland Sentinel
10. BOYS SOCCER Manistee advanced to a Division 3 District Final with a 3-1 win over Whitehall – CatchMark SportsNet
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.)