Today in the MHSAA: 5/30/17
May 30, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The last weekend before the busiest sports week of the school year still had plenty of action, as the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association hosted its team championship meets and a home run record was tied in softball.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Baseball
Division 1 No. 2 Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett downed Division 3 No. 4 Homer 7-0 in the Memorial Day Heart Classic at Comerica Park – Jackson Citizen Patriot
Reese swept Vassar to claim a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title – Bay City Times
Birch Run earned a share in the Tri-Valley Conference East with Division 2 No. 6 Essexville Garber, winning 1-0 in eight innings over Caro to finish a game started (and played through seven innings) in April – Saginaw News
Division 1 No. 20 Gibraltar Carlson tied its record for wins, set in 1977, with 30 thanks to a sweep of New Boston Huron – Southgate News Herald
Warren DeLaSalle junior Bryce Bush set a school record and entered MHSAA record book consideration with his 15th home run during a doubleheader against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett – Macomb Daily
Softball
Division 1 No. 10 Mount Pleasant edged Frankenmuth 7-6 to win the Eagle Memorial Classic – Saginaw News
Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse’s Brooke Nadolny hit three home runs against Division 2 No. 2 Richmond to tie the MHSAA single-season record of 20 – Macomb Daily
Division 1 top-ranked Macomb Dakota won the New Baltimore Anchor Bay Invitational, downing Division 3 top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central (but not ace pitcher Meghan Beaubien) 12-1 in the final – Macomb Daily
Track & Field
The fourth-ranked Pittsford girls continued a season of successes by winning the MITCA Lower Peninsula Division 4 team title – Hillsdale Daily News
Clare’s top-ranked boys won the MITCA LP Division 3 team title on their home track – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Additional MITCA team champions were the Rockford boys (No. 2) and girls (No. 1) in LP Division 1, the No. 4 Zeeland East boys and No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian girls in LP Division 2, the No. 3 Frankenmuth girls in LP Division 3 and the top-ranked Whittemore-Prescott boys in LP Division 4 – MITCA.org
Oak Park’s girls won the Oakland County championship for the fourth straight season, and the boys made it three county titles in a row – Oakland 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.)