STMA NAMES 2017 AWARD WINNERS


Te Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) recently released the names of the winners in three of their key awards programs for 2017. STMA is the not-for-profit, professional association for more than 2,700 men and women who manage sports fields worldwide. All award recipients will be honored at the 29th annual STMA Conference & Exhibition in Fort Worth this January.


STMA “Field of the Year” Winners


Since 1992, STMA has presented the industry’s highest honors to members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sporting playing surfaces at facilities used by professional, collegiate, schools (K-12) and parks and recreation athletes. Te 2017 winners in each level are:


Professional • Baseball – Parkview Field at Ft. Wayne Tincaps (Fort Wayne, IN): Keith Winter, Head Groundskeeper


• Soccer – Moneygram Soccer Park Field 8 at FC Dallas (Frisco, TX): Troy Crawford, Director of Grounds


College and University • Baseball – Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park at


University of South Carolina Upstate (Spartanburg, SC): Travis Dill, Sports Turf Technician


• Football – Historic Grant Field at Georgia Tech University (Atlanta, GA): Chris May, Director of Athletic Grounds


• Soccer – Osborne Stadium at Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA): Brian Hinkley, CSFM, Athletic Field Manager


• Softball – Patricia Wilson Field at Stetson University (DeLand, FL): Steve Barnard, Field Maintenance Technician


• Sporting Grounds – 5/3 Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State (Kennesaw, GA): Shane Hohlbein, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager


STMA and MiLB “Sports Turf Manager of the Year”


Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) awarded the 2017 “Sports Turf Managers of the Year” winners at the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings Banquet in Orlando. Te awards are sponsored by STMA and John Deere.


Tis year, three of the four honorees are first time winners; demonstrating that excellent groundskeepers are continually improving and developing as top-notch practitioners nationwide. Award winners include: • Triple-A – Matt Parrott, Charlotte Knights (Charlotte, NC)


• Double-A – Ray Sayre, Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Pensacola, FL)


• Single-A – Mike Williams, Charleston RiverDogs (Charleston, SC)


Schools and Parks • Baseball – McLean County PONY Baseball


(Bloomington, IL): Andy Ommen, Head Groundskeeper


• Football – Cowboys Field at Jim Warren Park (Franklin, TN): John Wagnon, Athletic Crew Chief


• Soccer – Longfellow Park at Park District of Oak Park (Oak Park, IL): Travis Stephen, Sports Field Manager


• Softball – Blue Eagle Softball Complex at Clover School District (Clover, SC): Will Rogers, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager


• Sporting Grounds – Pleasantview Championship Field at City of Boulder (Boulder, CO): John Cogdill, Manager


Rogers has now received this prestigious honor four times (2014, 2015, 2016), each in a different sporting category. Tree- time winners include Hohlbein (2015, 2016) and Cogdill (2014, 2015). "Field of the Year" award winners for the second time include Barnard (2011) and May (2014).


A panel of 13 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.


STMA “Mowing Patterns Contest” winner


Kelly Rensel, Head Groundskeeper at the Great Lakes Loons (Midland, Mich.), is STMA’s fifth annual “Mowing Patterns Contest” winner. Rensel was selected via a Facebook voting contest from Oct. 23 to Nov. 20 for his intricate design at Dow Diamond, home to the Great Lakes Loons (Single-A, Los Angeles Dodgers). He is the fourth MiLB recipient in five years.


• Short Season or Rookie – Ryan Olszewski, Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Niles, OH)


Since 2000, STMA and MiLB have honored members who manage fields in Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A and Short Season or Rookie divisions.


Winners are selected by a 13-member awards committee, compiled by STMA. Each nominee is independently scored on cultural practices, game day routine, resource utilization, staff management and the groundskeeper's involvement and support of the sports turf industry.


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Formerly Head Groundskeeper for the Greeneville Astros (Rookie, Houston Astros), Rensel held the same position at the Huntsville Stars (Double-A, Milwaukee Brewers) previously. In 2014, he received the Appalachian League Sports Turf Manager of the Year award. Rensel graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Administration.


TPI Turf News January/February 2018


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