Today in the MHSAA: 5/26/17
May 26, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The last major night of league track & field meets statewide saw another group of champions crowned, led by Adrian Madison’s girls for the 11th straight season.
Each weekday during the school year, we’ll gather and post media links covering the most significant and intriguing high school events from all over the state.
Baseball
Division 1 No. 14 Holt held on for a 6-2, 10-inning win over St. Johns in a Capital Diamond Classic quarterfinal – Lansing State Journal
Division 1 No. 19 Mount Pleasant stayed in the Saginaw Valley League title race with a sweep of Flint Powers Catholic that included an extra-inning win – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
From Wednesday, Lake Odessa Lakewood secured a Greater Lansing Activities Conference title with a 3-0 win over Stockbridge – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
Boys Golf
Bay City Western battled the elements to win the Bay County Championship with a 334, clearing the field by 18 strokes – Bay City Times
From Tuesday, Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 6 Plymouth clinched a fifth straight Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship shooting a 315 – Observer & Eccentric
Boys Lacrosse
Division 1 No. 9 Clarkston avenged an earlier loss to Bloomfield Hills with a 13-6 Division 1 Regional win – Oakland Press
Girls Soccer
Division 1 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central made two goals over the first 15 minutes stand the rest of the game in a 2-1 win over No. 17 Portage Central – Grand Rapids Press
Holland Black River finished a perfect run through the Alliance League – Holland Sentinel
Softball
Division 1 No. 10 Mount Pleasant swept Flint Powers Catholic to earn its first Saginaw Valley League title since 2010 – Mount Pleasant Morning Sun
From Wednesday, Norway swept Manistique to clinch a share of the Mid-Peninsula Conference championship – Iron Mountain Daily News
Boys Tennis
Negaunee swept all eight flights to claim a seventh straight Mid-Peninsula Conference championship – Marquette Mining Journal
Track & Field
The Detroit Cass Tech boys and Detroit Renaissance girls ran to Detroit Public School League championships – Detroit News
Quincy swept Big 8 Conference championships; the girls finished first at the league meet after entering tied in the standings – Coldwater Daily Reporter
Adrian Madison swept Tri-County Conference championships, the girls (LPD3 No. 4) for the 11th straight season and the boys for the fourth – Adrian Daily Telegram
Onsted’s girls (LPD3 No. 7) and Hillsdale’s boys (LPD3 No. 2) claimed Lenawee County Athletic Association championships – Adrian Daily Telegram
Lake Odessa Lakewood’s boys won the Greater Lansing Activities Conference meet to claim a share of the league title; Olivet’s girls dominated as well – Ionia Sentinel-Standard
The Centreville (LPD4 No. 2) girls and Mendon boys came away champions at the Berrien-Cass-St. Joseph Blue meet – Sturgis Journal
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.)