Today in the MHSAA: 11/7/22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
November 7, 2022
1. BOYS CROSS COUNTRY Hunter Jones became the second Lower Peninsula runner to win four Finals championships, and Northville, East Grand Rapids, Hart and Wyoming Potter’s House Christian all won their first team titles – MHSAA.com
2. GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY Holland West Ottawa and Johannesburg-Lewiston were first-time Finals champions, and Otsego and Traverse City St. Francis returned to the top of their respective divisions – MHSAA.com
3. BOYS SOCCER Rochester Adams, Richland Gull Lake, Holland Christian and Muskegon Western Michigan Christian finished off championship runs – MHSAA.com
4. VOLLEYBALL Cheboygan went five sets with Boyne City in Division 2 to claim its first District championship since 2005 – Cheboygan Daily Tribune
5. VOLLEYBALL Brownstown Woodhaven came back from a 2-1 deficit to get past honorable mention Temperance Bedford in five sets in a Division 1 District Final – Southgate News-Herald
6. VOLLEYBALL Honorable mention White Lake Lakeland repeated as a Division 1 District champion with a sweep of Walled Lake Northern – Oakland Press
7. VOLLEYBALL The third set went to 29-27 and the fifth set to 22-20 as Rock Mid Peninsula outlasted Eben Junction Superior Central in a Division 4 District Final – Escanaba Daily Press
8. VOLLEYBALL Top-ranked Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central clinched its 22nd-straight District title with a sweep of Erie Mason in Division 3 – Monroe News
9. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING Macomb L’Anse Creuse North continued its memorable season by winning the Macomb Area Conference White championship meet – Macomb Daily
10. GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING The Traverse City Tritons co-op repeated as Coastal Conference champion – 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.)