Today in the MHSAA: 1/17/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 17, 2023
1. BOWLING The St. Clair Shores Lake Shore boys won their first Macomb County championship and were joined by the Macomb L’Anse Creuse girls as this season’s winning teams – Macomb Daily Girls | Boys
2. HOCKEY Division 3 top-ranked Houghton went 2-0 for the weekend with a 6-5 win over Division 2 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice and 5-2 win over No. 7 Detroit U-D Jesuit – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
3. BOYS BASKETBALL Ferndale handed Flint Beecher its first loss, 63-52, at the MLK Freedom Classic – D Zone
4. HOCKEY Division 2 No. 2 Alpena downed No. 4 Saginaw Heritage 3-2 to run its winning streak to 10 – WBKB
5. SWIMMING & DIVING Connor Dowd set school and pool records in leading Essexville Garber to the Ogemaw Heights Stephanie Rice Memorial Invitational championship – Bay City Times
6. BOWLING The South Lyon girls and Oxford boys won Oakland County championships – Oakland Press Girls | Boys
7. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Danny Borozan earned four first places to help Battle Creek Lakeview – an honorable mention in Lower Peninsula Division 2 – to its 32nd-straight All-City championship – Battle Creek Enquirer
8. HOCKEY Division 3 No. 7 Detroit Country Day scored on its first shot on the way to a 6-3 win over No. 6 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett – Oakland Press
9. GIRLS BASKETBALL West Bloomfield closed its MLK Classic with a big win over Detroit Cass Tech – Oakland Press
10. WRESTLING Howell won Parma Western’s 59th Jim Dewland Classic, with the host team runner-up – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
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.)