Today in the MHSAA: 5/28/19
May 28, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The final weekend of May saw the majority of the final regular-season events for the 2018-19 school year, plus the annual team championship meets in track & field hosted by the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association.
1. Track & Field: The Clare top-ranked girls and No. 2-ranked boys repeated in sweeping MITCA team championships in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
2. Track & Field: The Pittsford No. 2-ranked girls won their third straight MITCA Division 4 team title, while top-ranked Addison won the boys title – Hillsdale Daily News
3. Track & Field: The top-ranked Zeeland East girls and top-ranked Zeeland West boys won MITCA Division 2 titles – Holland Sentinel Girls | Boys
4. Track & Field: The top-ranked Rockford girls and top-ranked East Kentwood boys won the MITCA Division 1 championships – Athletic.net
5. Baseball: Division 2 No. 3 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s won its first Detroit Catholic League A-B title with a walk-off hit in the 10th inning to get past Division 1 No. 14 Detroit Catholic Central – State Champs Sports Network
6. Baseball: Division 3 No. 4 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett downed No. 3 Riverview Gabriel Richard to win the Catholic League C-D title – State Champs Sports Network
7. Baseball: Division 1 No. 3 White Lake Lakeland got past No. 9 South Lyon to clinch the Lakes Valley Conference title – Oakland Press
8. Softball: Colon ran its winning streak to 20 straight with a sweep of Burr Oak that clinched a Southern Central Athletic Association title – Sturgis Journal
9. Boys Golf: Austin Fauser and Clinton continued their domination of the Tri-County Conference with league titles – Adrian Daily Telegram
10. Softball: Posen celebrated a North Star League Little Dipper title with a sweep of Hale – Alpena News
Also of note …
Softball: Division 2 honorable mention Chelsea claimed a share of the Southeastern Conference White title with a win over Monroe – Chelsea Sun Times
Softball: Division 1 No. 3 Howell and honorable mention New Baltimore Anchor Bay continued their back-and-forth to finish as the new MHSAA record holder for home runs in a season – State Champs Sports Network
Softball: From Thursday, Division 4 No. 9 Unionville-Sebewaing clinched the outright Greater Thumb Conference West title with a sweep of Bad Axe – Huron Daily Tribune
Track & Field: From Thursday, Brimley claimed both the girls and boys Eastern Upper Peninsula Conference meet championships – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Softball: From Thursday, Division 2 top-ranked Escanaba finished a league title run in the Great Northern Conference with a shutout of Marquette – Escanaba Daily Press
Boys Golf: From Thursday, Hanover-Horton – No. 5 in Lower Peninsula Division 3 – won the Cascades Conference tournament to force a shared league title with No. 4 Napoleon – Jackson Citizen-Patriot
Track & Field: From Tuesday, Sault Ste. Marie’s girls and Newberry’s boys won Straits Area Conference meet titles – Sault Ste. Marie Evening News
Softball: From last week, Division 3 honorable mention Stanton Central Montcalm locked up its fifth straight Central State Activities Association Gold title – Greenville Daily News
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.)