Today in the MHSAA: 8/28/17
August 28, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
Today's Top 10
1. Cross Country: The Pete Moss Invitational at Benzie Central featured a number of the state’s top teams – and also featured three girls breaking 17 minutes after none had done so since Rochester's Megan Goethals in 2009, led by Ann Arbor Pioneer standout Anne Forsyth at 16:50.3 – Traverse City Record-Eagle
2. Boys Tennis: Reigning Lower Peninsula Division 1 runner-up Bloomfield Hills scored 27 points to beat Ann Arbor Pioneer, reigning champion Huron and reigning LPD2 champion Midland Dow among the top finishers at the Huron Invitational – Midland Daily News
3. Volleyball: Temperance Bedford finished atop a field of teams from all over the Lower Peninsula, downing Coldwater in the final of the Cereal City Classic in Battle Creek – Coldwater Daily Reporter
4. Girls Golf: Reigning three-time LPD3 champ Spring Lake shot 351 to edge LPD4 No. 1 Kalamazoo Hackett by nine strokes and win the Fruitport Invitational – Grand Haven Tribune
5. Volleyball: Southfield Christian dominated the Auburn Hills Oakland Christian Invitational, winning all 10 of its sets over five matches on the way to the title – MLive-Detroit
6. Cross Country: The annual Marquette Invitational moved from the school to Presque Isle Park, but the Marquette teams remained a dominating pair in sweeping the titles – Marquette Mining Journal
7. Volleyball: Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart swept Clare in the championship match after avenging a previous loss to Fowler to improve to 9-1-1 and win its invitational – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
8. Volleyball: Grand Haven again won its “Battle of the Boardwalk” outdoor event, falling to Muskegon Mona Shores but then coming back to beat Fruitport and Spring Lake – Grand Haven Tribune
9. Cross Country: Blissfield’s girls and Erie-Mason’s boys won the Addison Kuenner Invitational titles, with Blissfield’s Casey Reed breaking the course record she set a year ago – Adrian Daily Telegram
10. Football: We highlighted the preview last week of Tim Shaw’s return to Livonia Clarenceville for the naming of the stadium in his honor; here’s coverage of the ceremony – Observer & Eccentric
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.)