Today in the MHSAA: 9/29/15
September 29, 2015
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The tennis and golf regular seasons will soon come to a close – and that means Michigan’s best are facing off to decide league titles with MHSAA tournaments beginning next week.
Girls Golf
Brighton continued to post incredible scores Monday, shooting 316 to win the Huron Valley Invitational led by Julia Dean at 69 – Livingston Daily
Unranked Saline won the Southeastern Conference Invitational ahead of Lower Peninsula Division 1 No. 8 Ann Arbor Pioneer, with Samantha Kellstrom’s 72 keying a 329 team score – AnnArbor.com
Boys Soccer
LP Division 1 No. 3 Utica Eisenhower came back from a weekend loss to beat No. 12 Clinton Township Chippewa Valley 2-0 in a Macomb Area Conference Red match – Macomb Daily
Boys Tennis
Ludington, No. 6 in LP Division 4, downed No. 5 Whitehall in a matchup of Coastal Conference powers – Muskegon Chronicle
Good Reads
Battle Creek Harper Creek and Pennfield combined results from cross country and football to determine the winner of a new traveling trophy – and Harper Creek took the honor first, winning both cross country meets Friday and then the football game as well – Battle Creek Enquirer
Mark Novak plans on coaching the Sanford Meridian varsity baseball team this spring, like he has the last nine seasons. But his community is cheering him on this week as well, as he’s scheduled for surgery Thursday to assist with treatment of congestive heart failure – Midland Daily 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.)