Today In The MHSAA: 1/31/22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 31, 2022
1. GYMNASTICS Grand Ledge edged Rockford by 15 hundredths of a point to win the Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills Invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter
2. WRESTLING Division 3 No. 1 Dundee took on both Division 2 top-ranked Lowell and Division 1 top-ranked Detroit Catholic Central, falling in both matches but only 36-28 to the Red Arrows. Division 1 No. 2 Davison defeated DCC by a point in another match at the event – Monroe News
3. GIRLS BASKETBALL Division 1 No. 10 Bloomfield Hills Marian earned coach Mary Cicerone her 700th career win with a 37-21 victory over Warren Regina – Oakland Press
4. WRESTLING Midland clinched its first Saginaw Valley League outright championship since 2009 – Midland Daily News
5. WRESTLING Division 2 No. 5 Stevensville Lakeshore was first and No. 9 St. Joseph second at the Greater Berrien County Invitational – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
6. BOYS BASKETBALL Division 2 No. 20 Battle Creek Pennfield’s Luke Davis scored his 1,000th career point during a 70-60 win over Jackson Northwest – Battle Creek Enquirer
7. WRESTLING Division 2 No. 4 Gaylord led the Northern Michigan Championships haul with three individual titles – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. GYMNASTICS The five-school Fowlerville co-op won the Jeanne Caruss Memorial Invitational team title – Spinal Column
9. WRESTLING Division 4 No. 4 Union City won the 18-team Evans-McGinnis Memorial Tournament – Battle Creek Enquirer
10. WRESTLING Division 2 No. 2 Whitehall improved to 22-0 in winning its Rick Champion Duals – 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.)