Today in the MHSAA: 10/2/17
October 2, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Volleyball: Edwardsburg, after falling to Bronson in pool play, came back to upset the Class C top-ranked Vikings and win their invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter
2. Girls Swimming & Diving: Battle Creek Harper Creek (LPD3 honorable mention) edged 14-time reigning champion Battle Creek Lakeview for its first All-City championship in this sport – Battle Creek Enquirer
3. Cross Country: The Rockford (LPD1 No. 2) and Hart (LPD3 No. 1) girls and Grand Haven (LPD1 honorable mention) and Fremont (LPD2 No. 10) boys won Allendale Invitational titles against loaded fields – Athletic.net
4. Cross Country: St. Joseph’s boys placed 15-19 individually to win the Berrien County Invitational by a point, while the girls team won for the eighth straight year as standout Anna Fischer earned her third straight individual title – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
5. Boys Tennis: Muskegon Mona Shores edged rival Whitehall by two points to take back the Greater Muskegon Athletic Association title – Local Sports Journal
6. Girls Golf: LPD4 No. 4 Harbor Springs added a Lake Michigan Conference title to a fine season so far, finishing 48 strokes ahead of the field at the league tournament – Petoskey News-Review
7. Girls Golf: Lake Odessa Lakewood won its fifth straight Greater Lansing Activities Conference title, claiming the league tournament by eight strokes and 11 in front of Stockbridge, which was tied for first entering the event – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
8. Boys Cross Country: Gaylord St. Mary’s Brendan Delaney won races two days in a row, running his team’s course record Saturday to finish first at the Boyne Falls Logger Invitational – Gaylord Times-Herald
9. Girls Swimming & Diving: Trenton (LPD3 honorable mention) repeated as Downriver Classic champion with a top-three finish in every event – Southgate News Herald
10. Cross Country: Negaunee swept Escanaba Invitational titles with Colton Yesney and Emily Paupore continuing to dominate; both Miners teams are No. 3 in UPD1 – Marquette Mining 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.)