Today In The MHSAA: 5/13/22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 13, 2022
1. GIRLS TENNIS Midland Dow – No. 8 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – clinched its 24th-straight Saginaw Valley League title with a win at the league tournament – Midland Daily News
2. TRACK & FIELD The Oak Park girls team clinched its ninth-straight Oakland Activities Association Blue/Gold championship with a close win over Farmington – Oakland Press
3. BOYS LACROSSE Division 2 No. 3 Haslett moved to 15-0 with a 9-6 win over Grand Ledge to claim the Capital Area Activities Conference Tournament championship – Lansing State Journal
4. GIRLS TENNIS Traverse City Central clinched the Big North Conference championship with a league tournament win – Traverse City Record-Eagle
5. SOFTBALL Livonia Stevenson split with Livonia Franklin, clinching the Kensington Lakes Activities Association East title with a win in the opener – Observer & Eccentric
6. BASEBALL Suttons Bay swept Traverse City Christian, putting coach Doug Periard over 400 career victories – Traverse City Record-Eagle
7. BASEBALL Birch Run shook up the Tri-Valley Conference 8 standings with a split against Division 2 No. 8 Freeland – Saginaw News
8. GIRLS SOCCER Division 3 top-ranked Hudsonville Unity Christian won a key Ottawa-Kent Conference Blue matchup 2-0 over Hamilton – Holland Sentinel
9. GIRLS SOCCER Division 2 No. 10 South Lyon East advanced to the Lakes Valley Conference Tournament final with a 5-0 win over South Lyon – Oakland Press
10. GIRLS SOCCER High-scoring Leslie added six more goals to its season total with a win over Grass Lake – Jackson Citizen Patriot
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.)