Today in the MHSAA: 5/17/24
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 17, 2024
1. GIRLS TENNIS No. 7 Midland Dow earned five flight championships and a Lower Peninsula Division 2 Regional team title – Midland Daily News
2. GIRLS TENNIS No. 10 Holland West Ottawa swept singles on the way to clinching a sixth-straight Regional title in LPD1 – Holland Sentinel
3. GIRLS SOCCER Livonia Stevenson won the Kensington Lakes Activities Association overall championship game 1-0 over Division 1 No. 6 Hartland – Hometown Life
4. GIRLS TENNIS Hamilton clinched its first Regional title in girls tennis, in LPD3 – Holland Sentinel
5. BASEBALL Whitehall’s Kyle Stratton broke the state career stolen bases record with a swipe against Mason County Central – Muskegon Chronicle
6. GIRLS SOCCER Division 2 No. 12 Mason clinched its first Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup with a shootout win over DeWitt – Lansing State Journal
7. GIRLS LACROSSE Chippewa Valley United earned its first MHSAA Tournament victory, 9-4 over West Bloomfield – Macomb Daily
8. GIRLS SOCCER Walled Lake Northern finished a repeat run in the Lakes Valley Conference Tournament with a 1-0 win over South Lyon East – Oakland Press
9. BASEBALL/SOFTBALL Clare’s Division 3 No. 8 softball and baseball teams clinched Jack Pine Conference titles outright with sweeps at Farwell – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
10. TRACK & FIELD Pewamo-Westphalia swept LPD3 Regional titles at Bath – Midland Daily News | Athletic.net
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.)