Today in the MHSAA: 5/3/18
May 3, 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. Track & Field: Detroit U-D Jesuit senior Sean English returned to the track and ran the 400 meters with a prosthetic leg just more than a year after he was struck by another driver while stopping to assist passengers of an overturned vehicle – Detroit Free Press
2. Girls Tennis: Unranked Byron Center upset Lower Peninsula Division 3 No. 8 Holland Christian 5-3 – Holland Sentinel
3. Softball: Molly Carey tossed a no-hitter as Division 1 No. 2 Howell swept Grand Blanc – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
4. Boys Golf: Muskegon Reeths-Puffer followed freshman medalist Cody Petroski to a Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championship – Local Sports Journal
5. Boys Golf: Gaylord’s Brendon Gouin shot a 70 as individual medalist as his Division 2 No. 8 Blue Devils won the Cheboygan Invitational – Gaylord Herald Times
6. Baseball: Division 1 No. 18 Birmingham Brother Rice and Division 2 No. 5 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s split their doubleheader – Oakland Press
7. Girls Soccer: Traverse City St. Francis scored twice in 48 seconds in downing Maple City Glen Lake 2-1 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
8. Girls Soccer: Division 1 No. 16 Brownstown Woodhaven scored twice over the final 14 minutes to edge Gibraltar Carlson 2-0 – Southgate News Herald
9. Girls Soccer: Jaclynn Sibley scored the first three goals as Division 1 No. 2 Portage Central downed rival Portage Northern 4-0 – WWMT
10. Baseball: A day after losing 17-2 to Romeo, Utica Ford came back with a 7-5 win – Macomb Daily
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.)