Today in the MHSAA: 5/27/16
May 27, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A set of incredible golf scores by the Plymouth boys team to win its District were among heroics on what generally is tune-up day for most sports heading into Memorial Day weekend and then the busiest championship week of the year.
Baseball
Division 1 formerly-ranked Battle Creek Lakeview swept Division 2 top-ranked Coldwater 13-8 and 7-5 – Battle Creek Enquirer
Holt one-hit St. Johns and emerged 3-2 winners in nine innings in the quarterfinals of the Capital Area Diamond Classic – Lansing State Journal
Remus Chippewa Hills claimed a nine-inning 6-5 win over Big Rapids and with it the outright Central State Activities Association title – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Birmingham Brother Rice won its fifth straight Catholic League A-B title with a 5-1 win over Orchard Lake St. Mary’s – Oakland Press
Golf
Plymouth won its Division 1 Regional at Fox Hills Golf Course with a 283, led by junior Jack Boczar’s 64 – MLive-Detroit
Pentwater 8th-grader Gannon McDonough won a two-hole playoff to claim the individual Division 4 Regional title at Stonegate Golf Club as North Muskegon won the team title (eighth graders are allowed to compete on high school teams at schools with enrollments of fewer than 100) – Muskegon Chronicle
Softball
Edwardsburg set a school record for wins by moving to 30-5 with a sweet of Niles, 3-0 and 4-1 – Niles Daily Star
Track & Field
From Wednesday, the Adrian Madison girls won the Tri-County Conference for the 10th straight season, while the boys made it three consecutive titles – Adrian Daily Telegram
From Tuesday, Hanover-Horton swept Cascades Conference boys and girls titles for the first time – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Good Read
Incredibly, Lake City three-sport athlete Laraiah Schichtel finished her academic career this spring as her class valedictorian – after working against dyslexia that wasn’t discovered until she was well into her 4.0 career – Detroit Free Press
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.)