Today in the MHSAA: 11/6/23
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 6, 2023
1. GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Two individual champions repeated, Romeo won its first team title and Ann Arbor Pioneer’s Rachel Forsyth ran a record race for the ages at the Lower Peninsula Girls Cross Country Finals – MHSAA.com
2. BOYS SOCCER Troy Athens’ overtime win in Division 1 capped a championship day that saw Grand Rapids Christian, Hudsonville Unity Christian and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian also claim Finals titles – MHSAA.com
3. BOYS CROSS COUNTRY Ada Forest Hills Eastern and Traverse City St. Francis were first-time team champions and Freeland’s TJ Hansen set a race record during the Lower Peninsula Boys Cross Country Finals – MHSAA.com
4. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Jenison – No. 3 in Lower Peninsula Division 1 – repeated as Ottawa-Kent Conference Red Meet champion led by record-setter Sophia Umstead – FOX 17
5. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Zeeland was followed by LPD3 No. 5 Holland Christian at the top of the O-K Rainbow championship event – Holland Sentinel
6. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD1 top-ranked Ann Arbor Pioneer was first and No. 6 Saline second at the Southeastern Conference Red Meet – Saline Post
7. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Fraser edged Romeo by seven points to win the Macomb Area Conference White Meet – Macomb Daily
8. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Bay City John Glenn continued its undefeated run in Independent Swim Conference championship meets with its 18th victory – Bay City Times
9. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING LPD2 No. 3 Midland Dow ran its Saginaw Valley League championship meet streak to three with a dominating performance – Midland Daily News
10. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Traverse City claimed a third-straight Coastal Conference championship – Traverse City Record-Eagle
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.)