Today in the MHSAA: 5/25/18
May 25, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
1. Girls Soccer: Division 3 No. 5 Grand Rapids South Christian downed second-place and Division 2 No. 8 Ada Forest Hills Eastern to clinch the Ottawa-Kent Conference Gold championship outright – FOX 17
2. Boys Golf: Hartland edged Northville by a mere stroke to win the Kensington Lakes Activities Association tournament, but Northville emerged as the overall league champion – Observer & Eccentric
3. Softball: Battle Creek Pennfield won its third straight All-City championship, edging Lakeview 11-10 in the championship game – Battle Creek Enquirer
4. Baseball: Morley Stanwood swept Holton to share the Central State Activities Association Silver championship with the Red Devils – Big Rapids News
5. Boys Golf: Gaylord St. Mary clinched the North Wood Golf Conference championship at the league tournament after finishing the match schedule undefeated – Gaylord Herald Times
6. Track & Field: Pickford’s boys and Brimley’s girls won Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference meet and overall championships – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
7. Softball: North Adams-Jerome celebrated a league championship with a sweep of Camden-Frontier – Hillsdale Daily News
8. Girls Soccer: Holland Black River shut out Byron Center Zion Christian to clinch a second straight Alliance League title – Holland Sentinel
9. Track & Field: The Lincoln Alcona girls and Whittemore Prescott boys (No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 4) also finished league title runs, in the North Star League – Alpena News
10. Baseball: No. 4 Pontiac Notre Dame Prep edged No. 2 Detroit Country Day 5-4 in a matchup of two of the best in Division 2 – Oakland Press
Also of note …
Softball: From Wednesday, Schoolcraft’s Lydia Goble hit three home runs against Delton Kellogg to take ownership of the MHSAA single-season record alone with 25 this spring – Kalamazoo Gazette
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.)