Today in the MHSAA: 9/19/17
September 19, 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. Safety: Hemlock girls tennis coach Dean Rusch saved a life while deejaying a wedding for his entertainment company, using an AED he keeps on hand as a coach – WNEM
2. Girls Golf: Top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood edged No. 2 Macomb Lutheran North by a stroke in a match of Lower Peninsula Division 3 contenders – Oakland Press
3. Girls Golf: LPD1 top-ranked Traverse City West clinched its eighth straight tournament win, shooting a 341 to claim the Charlevoix Lady Rayder Classic by 12 strokes – Traverse City Record-Eagle
4. Girls Golf: LPD2 No. 3 St. Joseph posted an impressive win at the Point O’Wood Invitational, shooting a 356 to edge LPD4 No. 1 Kalamazoo Hackett by nine strokes – St. Joseph Herald-Palladium
5. Girls Golf: Coldwater won the nine-team Onsted Invitational with a 348, its season-low tournament score – Coldwater Daily Reporter
6. Cross Country: In what has to be a first, Houghton standouts Clayton Sayen and Seth Helman decided in the home stretch of the Calumet Invitational who would cross the finish first by playing rock-paper-scissors; Chassell’s Lela Rautiola won the girls race by 39 seconds – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
7. Boys Soccer: Buckley downed Kingsley 5-1 as Ridge Beeman tallied his fifth hat trick of this fall – Cadillac News
8. Girls Golf: Pinckney improved to 10-1 in the Southeastern Conference White in its first season in the league with a 40-stroke win over Tecumseh – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
9. Fans: Redford Union has dedicated the 2017-18 school year to longtime fan and alum Jimmy Rollin, who died in July and was a supporter of the school’s teams. Union will have a moment of silence for him at the home opener for each varsity sport – Observer & Eccentric
10. Girls Swimming & Diving: Mull is a well-known last name in Lansing area swimming, and Grand Ledge sophomore Lola Mull is upholding her family’s reputation for pool excellence – Lansing State 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.)