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Today In The MHSAA: 10/25/21
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 25, 2021
1. CROSS COUNTRY The Freeland girls – ranked No. 6 in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – and Saginaw Heritage boys won the 50th Saginaw County Championships – Athletic.net
2. BOYS SOCCER No. 7 Traverse City West clinched its third-straight District title with a 5-1 win over No. 9 Midland Dow in Division 1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. CROSS COUNTRY The LPD1 No. 14 St. Joseph girls and Kalamazoo Central boys won Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference Meet championships – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium | Athletic.net
4. VOLLEYBALL Johannesburg-Lewiston finished a Ski Valley Conference championship run with a league tournament title – Petoskey News-Review
5. VOLLEYBALL Division 3 No. 5 Bronson clinched the Big 8 Conference championship with a victory at the league tournament – Coldwater Daily Reporter
6. VOLLEYBALL Division 2 honorable mention Whitehall locked up the overall West Michigan Conference championship with a league tournament win – MuskegonSports.com
7. VOLLEYBALL Division 3 top-ranked Muskegon Western Michigan Christian clinched the Lakes 8 Activities Conference title with sweeps of Muskegon Orchard View and Ludington at the league tournament – Local Sports Journal
8. VOLLEYBALL Division 1 No. 4 Ann Arbor Skyline defeated No. 5 Northville in the final to claim its invitational championship – We Love Ann Arbor
9. VOLLEYBALL Division 4 No. 2 Athens swept No. 10 Mendon in the finale of its invitational – JoeInsider.com
10. VOLLEYBALL Division 4 No. 5 Traverse City Christian’s Emma Mirabelli went over 2,000 career kills in leading her team to a runner-up finish at the Leland Invitational; Kingsley won their final in three sets – Traverse City Record-Eagle
![Holland West Ottawa Public Schools’ new athletics complex has been recognized as the top multi-field facility nationally by the American Sports Builders Association.](/sites/default/files/2023-12/231212_WestOttawa_2H.png)
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.)