Today In The MHSAA: 5/23/22

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

May 23, 2022

1. GIRLS TENNIS No. 4 North Muskegon edged No. 3 Grand Rapids Catholic Central by a point to win their Lower Peninsula Division 4 Regional – CatchMark SportsNet

2. GIRLS SOCCER Division 2 No. 2 Bloomfield Hills Marian avenged its lone loss, defeating Division 3 No. 5 Warren Regina 2-0 to claim the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship – Oakland Press

3. TRACK & FIELD The Marysville girls won their first Regional title since 1996, and Frankenmuth’s top-ranked boys also were victorious – Port Huron Times Herald | Saginaw News

4. BOYS TENNIS Escanaba and Negaunee, which finished first and second, respectively, at last season’s Upper Peninsula Division 1 Finals, tied for the Negaunee Invitational championship – Marquette Mining Journal

5. TRACK & FIELD Zeeland West’s No. 3-ranked boys, dominant in LPD2 over the last many years, claimed a Regional title in Division 1, with Rockford’s No. 2-ranked girls also champions – Holland Sentinel

6. TRACK & FIELD Saline’s boys and Ann Arbor Huron’s girls were repeat Regional champions in LPD1 – Ann Arbor News

7. BASEBALL Brock Porter no-hit Detroit Catholic Central to send Division 1 top-ranked Orchard Lake St. Mary’s into the Detroit Catholic League Bishop championship game – Oakland Press

8. GIRLS TENNIS Petoskey edged Midland by two points to claim a repeat LPD2 Regional championship – Petoskey News-Review

9. GIRLS TENNIS No. 9 Holland Christian also was a repeat Regional champion, in LPD3 – Holland Sentinel

10. SOFTBALL Division 3 honorable mention Negaunee defeated Hancock in the final of the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Tournament – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette

Also of note …

BOYS GOLF LPD3 No. 3 Traverse City St. Francis won the Lake Michigan Conference Tournament – Traverse City Record-Eagle

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.)