STMA announces Field of the Year winners
Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) released its 2013 “Field of the Year Award” list of winners to be presented at the 25th STMA Conference & Exhibition Jan. 21-24, 2014, in San Antonio, Tex.
Since 1992, STMA’s Field of the Year Award is given to members who manage baseball, football, softball, soccer and other sporting grounds at the professional, collegiate or schools (K-12) and parks level. The 2013 winners are listed below:
Professional
- Baseball – Isotopes Park (Albuquerque, N.M.): Casey Griffin, Director of Field Operations
- Soccer – Columbus Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio): Weston Appelfeller, Director of Grounds
College and University
- Baseball – Kobs Field, McLane Baseball Stadium at Michigan State University (East Lansing, Mich.): Jared Knoodle, Groundskeeper; Amy Fouty, CSFM, Athletic Turf Manager
- Football – Leslie Frazier Field at Trinity International University (Deerfield, Ill.): Andy Yeaman, Grounds Supervisor
- Softball – Florida Atlantic University Softball Stadium (Boca Raton, Fla.): Ken Czerniak, Sports Turf Manager
- Soccer – Championship Field at Seattle University (Seattle, Wash.): Kevin White, Athletic Fields Supervisor Schools and Parks
Schools and Parks
- Baseball – The Steward School Baseball Field (Richmond, Va.): Mark Roberts, Athletic Turf & Field Manager
- Football – Middle Division Football Field at Milton Hershey School (Hershey, Pa.): Joe Barrand; Jason Bowers, CSFM, Sports Turf Managers
- Softball – Lady Panthers Softball Field at Park Hill South (Kansas City, Mo.): Eric Jones, Head Groundskeeper
- Soccer – The Jungle at Louisa County High School (Mineral, Va.): Michael Hopkins, Turfgrass Science Instructor / Sports Turf Manager
- Sporting Grounds – Infinity Park (Glendale, Colo.): Noel Harryman, Manager of Turf Operations
“The Field of the Year Award is a dedication to our members who have an intense passion to provide the finest playing surfaces for athletes of all ages and abilities,” said Kim Heck, CEO of STMA. “Each day, they face new challenges and the novel solutions and state-of-the-art technologies they employ are truly amazing to consistently provide pristine and safe sports fields.”
A panel of 16 judges independently scored entries.