Today In The MHSAA: 5/20/21
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 20, 2021
1. Girls Soccer: Schoolcraft’s Hannah Thompson set the single-season state goals record with her 67th – and ended up at 74 after an 8-1 win over Parchment – WWMT
2. Girls Tennis: No. 3 Chelsea won every set on the way to a Lower Peninsula Division 3 Regional championship at Haslett – Chelsea Sun Times News
3. Boys Golf: LPD2 No. 5 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice shot a 306 to edge LPD1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central by three strokes and win the Oakland County Division 1 title – Oakland Press
4. Baseball: Division 1 No. 15 Utica Ford clinched its first outright league title in this sport since 1986 with a 3-0 win over Division 2 No. 9 St. Clair in the Macomb Area Conference White – Macomb Daily
5. Girls Lacrosse: No. 4 DeWitt came back from a late deficit to edge Okemos 11-10 and clinch the Capital Area Activities Conference championship – Lansing State Journal
6. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 7 Grand Blanc finished an outright Saginaw Valley League title run with a 4-1 win over Midland Dow – WJRT
7. Girls Soccer: Division 2 No. 10 Ludington finished a perfect run through the Lakes 8 Conference with a 3-0 shutout of Manistee – Ludington Daily News
8. Boys Lacrosse: No. 8 Battle Creek Lakeview downed Vicksburg 18-6 in a Division 2 Regional game – Battle Creek Enquirer
9. Boys Golf: Jake Beaudoin shot a Charlevoix school-record 64 to finish as individual winner of a Lake Michigan Conference event at Boyne Highlands, while Elk Rapids edged the LPD4 No. 4 Rayders by five strokes for the team win – Traverse City Record-Eagle
10. Baseball: Division 2 No. 18 Trenton earned a share of the Downriver League title with a 3-2 win over Division 1 No. 9 Brownstown Woodhaven – Southgate News-Herald
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.)