Today In The MHSAA: 5/9/22
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 9, 2022
1. TRACK & FIELD The Montague girls, No. 9 in Lower Peninsula Division 3, and Whitehall boys won Greater Muskegon Athletic Association championships, Montague for the first time in at least 25 years – Muskegon Chronicle
2. BOYS GOLF Hudsonville – No. 15 in LPD1 – shot a two-day 645 to win the Traverse City Tee-Off, with the Eagles’ Foster Faber the medalist – Traverse City Record-Eagle
3. SOFTBALL Ravenna avenged a previous league sweep to Division 2 No. 7 Muskegon Oakridge with a 7-4 win in the GMAA Tier 1 championship game – CatchMark SportsNet
4. SOFTBALL Tori Briggs was the star as Fowlerville won the Portland Invitational with victories over the Raiders, Saranac and Traverse City Central – Livingston Daily Press & Argus
5. BASEBALL Division 1 No. 5 Muskegon Mona Shores downed Reeths-Puffer to clinch its fourth-straight GMAA title – MuskegonSports.com
6. GIRLS SOCCER Cadillac outscored its three opponents by a combed 17-0 to win the Birch Run Invitational – Cadillac News
7. BOYS GOLF LPD4 No. 10 Kalamazoo Hackett Catholic Prep was first and Sturgis three strokes back at the latter’s invitational – JoeInsider.com
8. GIRLS TENNIS LPD4 No. 4 North Muskegon edged Mona Shores by two points at the top of the standings to clinch the GMAA title – Local Sports Journal
9. GIRLS SOCCER Division 2 No. 6 Plainwell shut out Portage Northern to move to 10-0 without giving up a goal this season – WWMT
10. BASEBALL Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern downed Division 2 No. 16 Zeeland East 4-3 to win East’s Invitational, but East’s Trevor Raade threw a no-hitter in his team’s semifinal win – Holland Sentinel
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.)