Today In The MHSAA: 5/18/21
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 18, 2021
Girls soccer: Schoolcraft’s Hannah Thompson tied the MHSAA single-season goals record with her 66th during a 7-2 win over Hartford; she scored all seven goals for her team – Kalamazoo Gazette
2. Boys Golf: Shepherd shot a 358 to clinch a fourth-straight league title and first in the Mid-Michigan Golf Conference – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
3. Girls Soccer: Division 2 No. 8 Linden closed a perfect Flint Metro League run with a 2-1 win over Lake Fenton – WJRT
4. Softball/Baseball: New Lothrop clinched Mid-Michigan Activities Conference championships in both with wins over Otisville-LakeVille Memorial, the softball team its first league title since 2009. New Lothrop’s softball team is ranked No. 9 in Division 3, and the baseball team is No. 13 – Owosso Argus-Press
5. Girls Soccer: Utica Eisenhower clinched the Macomb Area Conference Red title with a 1-0 win over New Baltimore Anchor Bay – Macomb Daily
6. Boys Lacrosse: Division 1 No. 2 Hartland locked up the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship with a 19-3 win over Plymouth – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
7. Baseball: Division 1 No. 12 Lake Orion swept Rochester Adams to win the Oakland Activities Association Red championship – Oakland Press
8. Boys Golf: Manistee Catholic Central was one stroke better than Pentwater in locking up the West Michigan D League title – Manistee News Advocate
9. Girls Soccer: Division 4 No. 8 North Muskegon came back from a two-goal deficit to tie No. 7 Lansing Christian 2-2 – Local Sports Journal
10. Baseball: Division 4 No. 7 Johannesburg-Lewiston held on for a pair of one-run wins over Indian River Inland Lakes – Cheboygan News
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.)