Today in the MHSAA: 2/25/19
February 25, 2019
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A busy weekend across Michigan included Team Wrestling Finals (see coverage under “Latest Posts”), plus Bowling Regionals, Competitive Cheer Regionals, league swimming & diving meets and much more.
1. Bowling: The No. 4 Napoleon boys finished ahead of runner-up and top-ranked Bronson to win a Division 4 Regional, while the top-ranked Vandercook Lake girls claimed their Regional title – Coldwater Daily Reporter
2. Competitive Cheer: Annual powers Allen Park and Gibraltar Carlson finished first and second, respectively, separated by less than a point at their Division 2 Regional – Southgate News-Herald
3. Boys Swimming & Diving: Holland West Ottawa, top-ranked in Lower Peninsula Division 1, finished a sixth straight championship run in the Ottawa-Kent Conference Red, winning the league meet ahead of No. 7 Hudsonville – Holland Sentinel
4. Competitive Cheer: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek won one of the strongest Regionals regardless of division, finishing ahead of qualifiers Adams, Utica Eisenhower and Sterling Heights Stevenson in Division 1 – Southgate News-Herald
5. Girls Basketball: Coldwater clinched its first league title since 1992 with a big win over Jackson Lumen Christi in the Interstate 8 Athletic Conference – Coldwater Daily Reporter
6. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 No. 2 Ann Arbor Pioneer got past runner-up and No. 4-ranked Ann Arbor Skyline to win the Southeastern Conference Red meet – We Love Ann Arbor
7. Bowling: The top-ranked Sturgis boys repeated as Division 2 Regional champs, ahead of No. 4 Coldwater and No. 7 Battle Creek Pennfield, while Pennfield’s No. 2-ranked girls won ahead of No. 5 Coldwater – Sturgis Journal
8. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD1 honorable mention Zeeland clinched the outright O-K Green championship after sharing it with current LPD3 No. 1 Holland Christian a year ago – Holland Sentinel
9. Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD2 honorable mention Gibraltar Carlson edged LPD3 No. 10 Trenton to win the Downriver League meet – Southgate News-Herald
10. Bowling: Cheboygan’s girls finished ahead of runner-up and No. 6 Gladwin to repeat as Division 3 Regional champions, while Gladwin’s No. 5 boys finished first ahead of Cheboygan’s – Cheboygan News
Also of note …
Girls Basketball: East Kentwood claimed a share of the O-K Red title with a 58-42 win over Grand Haven – FOX 17
Boys Swimming & Diving: Ludington dominated in claiming its third straight Coastal Conference championship with a win at the league meet – Ludington Daily News
Boys Swimming & Diving: Corunna won the Independent Swim Conference meet to repeat as league champion – Owosso Argus-Press
Girls Basketball: Gobles claimed the Southwestern Athletic Conference Lakeshore championship with a 45-26 win over Martin – FOX 17
Hockey: Division 1 No. 12 Utica Eisenhower locked up the Macomb Area Conference Red title with an 8-3 win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay – Macomb Daily
Girls Basketball: Scout Nelson scored 21 points against Blanchard Montabella to become Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart’s all-time leading scorer – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Girls Basketball: Three Rivers’ Hadley Miller went over 1,000 career points in a 57-42 win over Vicksburg – Sturgis Journal
Boys Basketball: Alma clinched a share of the Tri-Valley Conference Central title with Freeland and Saginaw Swan Valley – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
Girls Basketball: Bear Lake clinched a share of the West Michigan D League title with a big win over Big Rapids Crossroads – Manistee News Advocate
Girls Basketball: Charlevoix clinched a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title with a 53-31 win over Grayling – Petoskey News-Review
Girls Basketball: Mackinaw City claimed the Northern Lakes Conference title outright with a big win over Alba – Cheboygan News
Boys Swimming & Diving: New Baltimore Anchor Bay won the MAC White meet – Macomb Daily
Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD2 honorable mention St. Clair Shores Lakeview was the champ at the MAC Blue meet – Macomb Daily
Boys Basketball: Kingston earned a share of the North Central Thumb League Stars title, with Flint International Academy, thanks to a one-point win over Dryden – WNEM
Boys Swimming & Diving: LPD3 No. 7 Marshall repeated as champion at the Southwestern & Central Conference meet – Battle Creek Enquirer
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.)