Today in the MHSAA: 9/27/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
September 27, 2023
1. GIRLS GOLF Brighton – top-ranked in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – carded a 299 to clinch the Kensington Lakes Activities Association postseason tournament championship, with No. 2 Plymouth finishing second after the scores of the two league tournaments were combined – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
2. VOLLEYBALL Division 1 No. 8 Byron Center defeated honorable mention Lowell 3-1 in their Bite Cancer match – FOX17
3. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD3 No. 3 Milan earned an impressive 114-69 win over No. 8 Dundee – Monroe News
4. VOLLEYBALL Division 2 No. 3 Lake Odessa Lakewood pulled away for a 3-1 win over honorable mention Lansing Catholic – Lansing State Journal
5. BOYS SOCCER North Farmington sits atop to Oakland Activities Association Blue thanks to a 2-1 win over Pontiac – Oakland Press
6. VOLLEYBALL Kent City delivered Reed City’s first Central State Activities Association loss this season, in five sets – Big Rapids Pioneer
7. BOYS SOCCER Division 2 No. 7 Fruitport posted its fifth-straight shutout, 5-0 over Grand Rapids Covenant Christian – MuskegonSports.com
8. CROSS COUNTRY Battle Creek Lakeview swept its All-City championship races – Battle Creek Enquirer
9. CROSS COUNTRY The LPD4 No. 9 Buckley girls and Benzie Central boys won the second Northwest Conference jamboree races – Cadillac News
10. GIRLS GOLF LPD1 No. 6 Rockford and East Kentwood’s Elise Fennell were victorious at the final Ottawa-Kent Conference Red jamboree – FOX17
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.)