Today In The MHSAA: 5/5/21
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 5, 2021
1. Boys Lacrosse: Division 1 No. 8 Lake Orion, Clarkston and Birmingham Unified will share the Oakland Activities Association title after Lake Orion’s 10-9 win over the Wolves – Oakland Press
2. Baseball: Division 2 No. 18 Freeland swept No. 5 Bay City John Glenn, handing the Bobcats their first losses of the season – Bay City Times
3. Track & Field: Macomb Dakota swept Grosse Pointe South in a pair of matchups of league co-leaders; both Dakota teams are ranked No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – Macomb Daily Girls | Boys
4. Track & Field. LPD2 No. 6 Remus Chippewa Hills’ girls ran their dual meet win streak to 129 with two more over LPD3 No. 8 Central Montcalm and Grant – Big Rapids News
5. Track & Field: Emerson Sargeant won four events to race Hartland’s girls past LPD1 No. 8 Howell – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
6. Baseball: Zeeland East downed West in a matchup of neighbors, league co-leaders, and brothers – FOX 17
7. Baseball: A pair of University of Michigan recruits combined for 28 strikeouts as Division 2 No. 11 Essexville Garber got past Frankenmuth 1-0 in nine innings – WJRT
8. Track & Field: The Traverse City St. Francis boys and Indian River Inland Lakes girls won Boyne City Invitational championships – Traverse City Record-Eagle
9. Track & Field: Edwardsburg’s Luke Stowasser set a school record with a long jump of 21-foot-11 – Niles Daily Star
10. Baseball: Division 4 No. 3 Beal City moved to 17-0 with a sweep of McBain – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Also of note …
Girls Basketball: Clarifying an earlier report, Tonya Edwards will continue coaching Flint Carman-Ainsworth while also returning to the WNBA as an assistant – Flint Journal
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.)