The American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), the national organization for builders and suppliers of materials for athletic facilities, has announced the winners of its annual awards. Awards are presented each year to facilities built by ASBA members, which best exemplify construction excellence.
Awards are presented in various categories: Tennis Courts, Running Tracks, Sports Fields, Pickleball Facilities and Track & Field Facilities. Within some categories, there are divisions; for example, the Sports Field category recognizes single- and multiple-field facilities.
“We are proud of the work done by all members of ASBA but this year’s award-winning projects showcase true excellence,” said David Clapp, CTCB, chairman of the association. “They are not only designed and constructed to exacting standards, as well as being aesthetically beautiful, but they provide an excellent playing experience for the athletes who use them and the spectators who come to watch them.”
Projects are scored individually based on considerations such as layout and design, site work, drainage, base construction, surface, amenities, innovation and overall impression. Winning entries are those whose cumulative scores met or exceeded the standard.
In the Sports Fields, Distinguished Single Field Facilities division, the winners were: Howard Fellows Stadium in Peru, Ill. (Byrne & Jones Sports Construction); Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio (SCG Fields LLC); LSU Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. (HNP Landscape Architecture); MLS Stadium FC Cincinnati TQL Stadium in Cincinnati (The Motz Group); Waunakee High School–Warrior Soccer Stadium in Waunakee, Wis. (Rettler Corp.); Hill Field at Amherst College in Amherst, Mass. (Activitas Inc.); Stoughton High School in Stoughton, Mass. (Warner Larson Landscape Architects); Austin Prep School in Reading, Mass. (Huntress Associates Inc.); Billerica High School in Billerica, Mass. (Warner Larson Landscape Architects); and Public Service Leadership Academy at Fowler in Syracuse, N.Y. (LaBella Associates).
In the Sports Fields, Distinguished Multi-Field Facilities division, the winners were: Columbus Crew Training Facility at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (SCG Fields LLC); Hammer Complex at Albert Lea High School in Albert Lea, Minn. (ISG); Westville High School Sports Complex in Westville, Ill. (Byrne & Jones Sports Construction); Glacken Field in The City of Cambridge in Cambridge, Mass. (Stantec’s Sport Group); Lafreniere Park–Fields 7 & 8 in Metairie, La. (GeoSurfaces Inc.); Webster Schroeder High School in Webster, N.Y. (LaBella Associates); Scituate High School in Scituate, Mass. (Activitas Inc.); Seneca Athletic Complex in Seneca, Mo. (Byrne & Jones Sports Construction); Plummer Family Park in Edwardsville, Ill. (Byrne & Jones Sports Construction); Rantoul Sports Complex in Rantoul, Ill. (Byrne & Jones Sports Construction); Ripken Experience Aberdeen–Citi Field & PNC Park in Aberdeen, Md. (AstroTurf Corp.); Hugh Carney Stadium at Bishop Stang High School in North Dartmouth, Mass. (Gale Associates Inc.); and School District of Marshfield Athletics Campus in Marshfield, Wis. (Rettler Corp.).
In the Outdoor Tennis Courts division, the winners were: Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (GMB Architecture + Engineering); Hackensack High School in Hackensack, N.J. (Suburban Consulting Engineers Inc.); Torrence M. Hunt ’44 Tennis Facility at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. (Classic Turf Company); Seven Lakes Association in Fort Myers, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.); and Woodfield Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.).
In the Running Tracks division, winners were: Baldwin-Woodville Area Schools Athletic Stadium in Baldwin, Wis. (Fisher Tracks Inc.); Southwestern School District Athletic Stadium in Hazel Green, Wis. (Fisher Tracks Inc.); and Trojan Field at Worthington High School in Worthington, Minn. (Fisher Tracks Inc.)
In the Track & Field Facilities division, the winners were: Center Playfields in Lexington, Mass. (Activitas Inc.) and Franklin High School in Stockton, Calif. (Verde Design Inc.).
In the Pickleball Courts division, winners were: Marstons Mills Pickleball and Tennis Facility in Marstons Mills, Mass. (Cape and Island Tennis & Track); and Veranda Gardens in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.).
In the Multipurpose/Gym Facility division, the winner was: Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater in Albertville, Ala. (Covington Flooring Co. Inc.)
The ASBA is a nonprofit association comprised of designers, builders and suppliers in sports facility construction. The ASBA sponsors informative meetings, publishes newsletters, books and technical construction guidelines for athletic facilities, and keeps its members aware of the latest developments in the industry. It also offers voluntary certification programs in tennis court, running track and sports field construction.