Today In The MHSAA: 10/18/21
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 18, 2021
1. VOLLEYBALL Division 1 top-ranked Bloomfield Hills Marian never lost a set and defeated Division 2 No. 2 Grand Rapids Christian in the championship match to win the Beast of the East against a field that included 10 ranked teams – Oakland Press
2. CROSS COUNTRY The Okemos girls – No. 11 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – and LPD2 No. 7 St. Johns boys claimed this year’s Greater Lansing Invitational championships – Lansing State Journal Girls | Boys
3. CROSS COUNTRY Romeo’s teams swept Macomb County Invitational championships; Romeo’s girls are No. 6 in LPD1 and the boys are No. 3 – Macomb Daily
4. CROSS COUNTRY Bay City Western swept Bay County Championship titles – Bay City Times
5. VOLLEYBALL Division 3 No. 6 Centreville swept Cassopolis in the final to win the Southwest 10 Conference Tournament championship – Sturgis Journal
6. CROSS COUNTRY The Mona Shores girls and Whitehall boys won Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championships – Local Sport Journal
7. VOLLEYBALL Battle Creek Lakeview defeated Harper Creek 2-0 to clinch the All-City championship – Battle Creek Enquirer
8. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Coldwater was first and Mattawan second at the Battle Creek Harper Creek Invitational – Coldwater Daily Reporter
9. VOLLEYBALL Sault Ste. Marie downed Johannesburg-Lewiston 2-1 in the finale to win the Inland Lakes Invitational – Petoskey News-Review
10. CROSS COUNTRY Brownstown Woodhaven’s girls and Riverview’s boys won Downriver Gabriel Richard Invitational championships – Southgate News-Herald
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.)