Today in the MHSAA: 5/22/19
May 23, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The league championship portion of our spring continued in full force Tuesday, with today’s list of achievers topped by a team celebrating for the first time in a long time.
1. Baseball: Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern clinched its first league title since 2000, sweeping Cedar Springs in the Ottawa-Kent Conference White – Grand Rapids Press
2. Track & Field: Pittsford’s boys and girls both edged Hillsdale Academy’s to sweep Southern Central Athletic Association meet titles, the boys by three points and the girls by just one; the Pittsford boys are ranked No. 6 and girls No. 2 in Lower Peninsula Division 4, and Hillsdale Academy’s girls are No. 1 – Hillsdale Daily News
3. Track & Field: Addison’s LPD4 top-ranked boys clinched their first Cascades Conference championship since 2003, and the LPD3 No. 4 Onsted girls also were victorious – Adrian Daily Telegram
4. Softball: Division 4 top-ranked Coleman clinched its fifth straight Mid-State Activities Conference title with a sweep of Breckenridge – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
5. Track & Field: Corunna’s girls locked up their fifth straight Genesee Area Conference Red title – Owosso Argus-Press
6. Baseball: Richmond swept Algonac to clinch a share of the Blue Water Area Conference title, its 19th in 21 seasons – Port Huron Times-Herald
7. Baseball: Kingsley swept Division 4 No. 14 Maple City Glen Lake to win its first Northwest Conference championship in 13 years – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. Girls & Boys Golf: Iron River West Iron County swept the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference tournament titles – Iron Mountain Daily News
9. Track & Field: Parma Western swept Interstate 8 Athletic Conference meet championships – Coldwater Daily Reporter
10. Track & Field: Clare’s girls and boys repeated as Jack Pine Conference meet champions; the girls are ranked No. 1 and the boys No. 2 in LPD3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Also of note …
Baseball: Division 4 No. 7 Beal City clinched a share of the Highland Conference title with a sweep of Leroy Pine River – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Track & Field: The New Lothrop boys and Byron girls finished championship runs through the Mid-Michigan Activities Conference – Owosso Argus-Press
Track & Field: The Centreville girls and Bloomingdale boys celebrated Southwest 10 Conference meet championships – Sturgis Journal
Baseball: Cheboygan swept Pickford to secure the Straits Area Conference title – Cheboygan News
Track & Field: Kingsley swept Northwest Conference league meet titles; the girls are ranked No. 2 and the boys No. 5 in LPD3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle Boys | Girls
Softball: Division 2 No. 5 Muskegon Oakridge swept Mason County Central to lock up its fourth straight West Michigan Conference championship – Local Sports Journal
Softball: Division 1 honorable mention Jenison swept Muskegon Reeths-Puffer to clinch the O-K Black championship – Muskegon Chronicle
Softball: Cheboygan finished its repeat run in the Straits Area Conference with a sweep of Pickford – Cheboygan News
Track & Field: Newberry’s boys and St. Ignace’s girls won Straits Area Conference league meet titles – Cheboygan News
Track & Field: The Rapid River boys and Felch North Dickinson girls locked up Skyline Central Conference meet titles – Escanaba Daily Press
Track & Field: Warren Mott’s boys and Macomb L’Anse Creuse North’s girls won Macomb Area Conference Blue meet titles, while Macomb Dakota’s teams swept the Red and are ranked No. 4 (boys) and No. 5 (girls) in LPD1 – Macomb Daily
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.)