STMA names 2015 Field of the Year Award winners

The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) announced its 2015 Field of the Year Award winners.

Since 1992 the STMA’s Field of the Year Award has been presented to members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sporting grounds at the professional, collegiate, schools (K-12) and parks and recreation level. The 2015 winners are listed below:

Professional

• Ed Smith Stadium at Baltimore Orioles (Sarasota, Fla.); Baseball
  • Daniel Thomas, head groundskeeper
• MAPFRE Stadium at Columbus Crew SC (Columbus, Ohio); Soccer
  • Weston Appelfeller, CSFM, director of grounds

College and University

• Davis Wade Stadium at Mississippi State University (Starkville, Miss.); Football
  • Brandon Hardin, sports turf superintendent
• Cyrill Softball Stadium at University of South Carolina Upstate (Spartanburg, S.C.); Softball
  • Bruce Suddeth, director of building & landscape services
• Klöckner Stadium at University of Virginia (Charlottesville, Va.); Soccer
  • Jesse Pritchard, CSFM, sports turf manager; Phil Bathalon, assistant sports turf manager
• Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, Ga.); Sporting Grounds
  • Shane Hohlbein, CSFM, sports turf manager

Schools and Parks

• Ivey-Watson Field at Gainesville City Schools (Gainesville, Ga.); Baseball
  • David Presnell, CSFM, turf manager
• North Area Athletic Complex Field at Jefferson County School District (Golden, Colo.); Football
  • Sun Roesslein, stadium manager; Christi Clay, stadium manager
• Blue Eagle Softball Complex at Clover School District (Clover, S.C.); Softball
  • Will Rogers, CSFM, sports turf manager
• Varsity Soccer Field at Collegiate School (Goochland, Va.); Soccer
  • Allison Moyer, grounds manager
• Championship Field at Pleasant View Sports Complex (Boulder, Colo.); Sporting Grounds
  • John Cogdill, park turf & irrigation manager

“Each year, we look forward to hand-picking the best natural grass athletic surfaces in the country through the Field of the Year Award,” says Kim Heck, CEO of the STMA. “With a record number of applicants in 2015, the selection process has become more rigorous, which serves as a testament to the high-quality fields our 2,600-plus members produce across the U.S.”

A panel of 15 judges independently scored entries based on playability, appearance of surfaces, utilization of innovative solutions, effective use of budget and implementation of a comprehensive agronomic program. Judges may not award a field in each category.

Awards will be presented at the 27th STMA Conference & Exhibition, which will be held Jan. 19–22 in San Diego, Calif. Nearly 1,200 leaders in the sports turf industry will converge on the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego for more than 75 hours of leading-edge educational seminars, exhibitor demonstrations and networking opportunities.