Today in the MHSAA: 10/23/2018
October 23, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Each weekday of the school year, we break down the top headlines courtesy of Michigan’s sports media.
A pair of Detroit Catholic League Tournament championship celebrations lead a list filled with Monday volleyball winners and a pair of cross country invitational pacesetters.
1. Volleyball: Division 1 top-ranked Farmington Hills Mercy swept No. 7 Bloomfield Hills Marian to win the Detroit Catholic League A-B championship for the second straight season – Observer & Eccentric
2. Volleyball: Division 2 No. 6 Wixom St. Catherine claimed its second straight Catholic League C-D title with a sweep of Division 3 No. 4 Riverview Gabriel Richard – Oakland Press
3. Volleyball: Division 2 honorable mention Kingsley and Traverse City St. Francis both went 2-1 at the ABCD quad with Division 4 top-ranked Leland with Traverse City Central also playing – Traverse City Record-Eagle
4. Cross Country: The Hanover-Horton boys and Pittsford girls won Sand Creek Invitational championships; Pittsford’s girls are ranked No. 4 in Lower Peninsula Division 4 and Hanover-Horton’s boys are No. 3 in LPD3 – Adrian Daily Telegram
5. Volleyball: Midland came out on top in a matchup of second-place finishers in the Saginaw Valley League with a crossover sweep of Flint Powers Catholic – Midland Daily News
6. Volleyball: Pellston earned wins over Gaylord and Harbor Springs – Petoskey News-Review
7. Volleyball: L’Anse took the season’s second “Battle of the Bay” meeting with Baraga with a three-set sweep – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
8. Volleyball: Kalamazoo Central swept Climax-Scotts on the Maroon Giants’ senior night – JoeInsider.com
9. Volleyball: Petoskey swept Cheboygan in nonleague play to improve to 33-4-1 – Petoskey News-Review
10. Volleyball: Chassell continued to make strides with a sweep of Dollar Bay – Houghton Daily Mining Gazette
Also of note …
Cross Country: From last week, Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills girls won the Ottawa-Kent Conference White championship, believed to be the first in program history – Grand Rapids Press
Cross Country: From Saturday, Portage Northern’s boys won their first Southwestern Michigan Athletic Conference meet championship in a decade – Kalamazoo Gazette
Cross Country: From Saturday, Parma Western held on at the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference meet to sweep the overall league championships – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Cross Country: From Saturday, Brownstown Woodhaven swept Downriver League meet titles and the boys won the league outright; Allen Park’s girls held on to their overall league championship – Southgate News-Herald girls | boys
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.)