Today in the MHSAA: 5/25/16
May 25, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Top Michigan teams in girls soccer and softball matched up Tuesday as most prepare for the start of District play next week – and check out also a great story of sportsmanship from the Muskegon area.
Baseball
Richmond downed Armada 4-0 to clinch a 17th straight Blue Water Area Conference championship – Port Huron Times-Herald
Boys Golf
Essexville Garber won its fourth Bay County championship in five seasons, led this time by Graham MacBride’s 78 – Bay City Times
Boys Lacrosse
Midland came back to edge Bloomfield Hills 15-11 in a Regional matchup of strong Division 1 hopefuls – Midland Daily News
Girls Soccer
Division 2 top-ranked DeWitt downed Division 3 No. 2 Williamston for the Capital Area Activities Conference Gold Cup championship – Lansing State Journal
Softball
Division 4 No. 2 Unionville-Sebewaing split with Division 2 top-ranked Saginaw Swan Valley 0-1 and 7-6, only days after beating Division 1 top-ranked Macomb Dakota in tournament play – Saginaw News
Petoskey’s Emme Williams tied her school's pitching record of 26 wins and broke the runs record with 53 in a sweep of Boyne City – Petoskey News
Track & Field
Lake Linden-Hubbell continued a dominant run by sweeping both girls and boys Copper Mountain Conference meet championships – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Clare swept league titles in the Jack Pine Conference, the girls winning for the third straight season and the boys for the 13th consecutive spring – Mount Pleasant Morning News
Good Read
We love these stories of sportsmanship: North Muskegon soccer keeper Gus Keur made a big save during a collision in what was then a scoreless game, but after noticed the Muskegon Reeths-Puffer opponent who took the shot still on the ground – so Keur picked up her opponent and carried her toward the sideline. Reeths-Puffer scored not long after and won 1-0, but as Keur’s mother told her, more will remember her kind act than the goal she let by – Muskegon Chronicle
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.)