Today in the MHSAA: 1/18/22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 18, 2022
1. BOYS SWIMMING & DIVING Midland Dow won the Tri-Cities Swimming Championship for the 19th-straight season – Midland Daily News
2. GYMNASTICS Rockford was first and Lowell second at the Red Arrows’ Military Salute Invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter
3. WRESTLING Battle Creek Lakeview won its all-city championship and then finished runner-up as Cedar Springs claimed the overall All-City Challenge title – Battle Creek Enquirer
4. WRESTLING Competitors from 25 schools made up the field at the Boyne City Girls Wrestling Invitational, with the Ramblers’ Lydia Krauss named Most Outstanding Wrestler – Traverse City Record-Eagle
5. BOWLING The Oxford boys and Lake Orion girls won Oakland County Tournament championships – Oakland Press
6. BOWLING Warren Woods-Tower’s Kayla Tafanelli and Macomb Dakota’s Connor Rogus won Macomb County Invitational championships – Macomb Daily Girls | Boys
7. BOYS BASKETBALL Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, No. 1 in Division 1 MPR, downed No. 6 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 45-43 on a buzzer beater – Observer & Eccentric
8. HOCKEY Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central opened with two first-period goals on the way to a 3-1 win over Division 3 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood – Oakland Press
9. HOCKEY Division 2 No. 4 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice scored with less than 10 seconds to play to get past Division 3 No. 6 Houghton 3-2 – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
10. BOYS BASKETBALL Benzie Central, No. 15 in Division 3 MPR, won a matchup of undefeated teams 72-55 over Buckley – Up North Live
Also of note …
WRESTLING Longtime and recently-retired Lake Odessa Lakewood coach Bob Veitch will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in April – Lansing State 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.)