Today In The MHSAA: 5/20/22

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 20, 2022

1. GIRLS TENNIS No. 7 Elk Rapids won its first Regional championship in the sport, finishing atop its Lower Peninsula Division 4 field with No. 9 Traverse City St. Francis second – Traverse City Record-Eagle

2. BOYS LACROSSE Division 2 No. 4 East Grand Rapids defeated Division 1 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 12-11 in overtime – Twitter

3. GIRLS SOCCER For the second-straight season, Audrey Archambault scored on a penalty kick to give Division 2 No. 7 Haslett the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship, this time with a 2-1 win over Division 3 top-ranked Williamston – Lansing State Journal

4. SOFTBALL Hartland won its first Kensington Lakes Activities Association Tournament championship with a 2-0 victory over Division 1 No. 10 Canton – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

5. BASEBALL Division 2 No. 5 Goodrich moved to 29-0 and clinched the overall Flint Metro League title with a 3-0 win over Flushing – Flint Journal

6. GIRLS SOCCER Division 3 No. 7 Essexville Garber locked up its third-straight Tri-Valley Conference division title with a 4-1 win over No. 8 Freeland – Bay City Times

7. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 3 Northville clinched the KLAA Tournament title with a 7-3 win over No. 6  Howell – Livingston Daily Press & Argus

8. BOYS GOLF Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice won the Oakland County Division 1 championship with a 288, one stroke better than LPD1 No. 7 Novi and three lower than Detroit Catholic Central – Oakland Press

9. SOFTBALL Division 2 honorable mention Gladwin swept Pinconning to clinch the Jack Pine Conference championship – Midland Daily News

10. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores earned a share of the Ottawa-Kent Conference Green title with a 4-1 win over Holland – MuskegonSports.com

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.

The band performs at Holland West Ottawa's athletics complex.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.)