Sports Turf Managers Association Announces 2016 ‘Field of the Year Award’ Winners

Source: Sports Turf Managers Association

Turfgrass Leaders in Baseball, Football, Soccer, Softball, Sporting Grounds Earn Industry’s Highest Honor

(LAWRENCE, Kan.) – Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) – the professional association for 2,600 men and women who manage sports fields worldwide who are critical to the safety of athletes and coaches – today announces its 2016 “Field of the Year Award” winners.

Since 1992, STMA’s Field of the Year Award is presented to members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sporting playing surfaces at the professional, collegiate, schools (K-12) and parks and recreation level. The 2016 winners are listed below:
 
Professional

  • Baseball – Smokies Stadium at Tennessee Smokies (Kodak, Tenn.): Anthony DeFeo, Certified Sports Field Manager (CSFM), Head Groundskeeper 
  • Soccer – Toyota Park at Chicago Fire (Bridgeview, Ill.): Joel White, Turf Manager
  • Sporting Grounds – Infinity Park at City of Glendale (Glendale, Colo.): Noel Harryman, CSFM, Manager Turf Operations 

College and University

  • Baseball – Pacer Field at Marywood University (Scranton, Pa.): Rob Galdieri, Sports Turf Manager
  • Football – Spartan Stadium at Michigan State University (East Lansing, Mich.): Amy Fouty, CSFM, Athletic Turf Manager
  • Soccer – Merlo Field at University of Portland (Portland, Ore.): Kevin White, Athletic Field Manager
  • Softball – Pacer Field at Marywood University (Scranton, Pa.): Rob Galdieri, Sports Turf Manager
  • Sporting Grounds – 5/3 Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State (Kennesaw, Ga.): Shane Hohlbein, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager 

Schools and Parks

  • Baseball – The Nest at Clover School District (Clover, S.C.): Will Rogers, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager
  • Football – Carson Stadium at Christ Church Episcopal School (Greenville, S.C.): Brian Dossett, CSFM, Head Sports Field Manager
  • Soccer – White River Soccer Complex at Noblesville High School (Noblesville, Ind.): Joshua Weigel, Grounds Superintendent
  • Softball – Champs Field at Gulfport SportsPlex (Gulfport, Miss.): Ken Edwards, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager
  • Sporting Grounds – Raiders Stadium at Atlee High School (Mechanicsville, Va.): Marc Moran, CSFM, Agriculture/Horticulture Instructor 

“Through the 'Field of the Year Program,' the members of our Awards Committee independently select the most superior natural grass playing surfaces that exemplify both safety and playability," says Kim Heck, CAE, CEO of STMA. "We are excited by the significant number of applicants, which made for difficult decisions but shows the size, scope and continued innovation of the sports turf industry.”
 
Moran has now received this prestigious honor four times (2006, 2009, 2010), each in a different sporting category. Three-time winners include Harryman (2012, 2013), Rogers (2014, 2015) and Weigel (2012, 2014). "Field of the Year Award" winners for the second time include Fouty (2013), White (2013) and Hohlbein (2015).
 
A panel of 11 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. Winning fields will be featured in a 2017 issue of SportsTurf Magazine, the official monthly publication of STMA.
 
Awards will be presented at the 28th annual 
STMA Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Fla. Jan. 24-27, 2017. Nearly 1,200 leaders in the sports turf industry will meet at Disney’s Colorado Springs Hotel for four days of cutting-edge educational seminars, exhibitor demonstrations and networking opportunities.
 
For more information: 
www.stma.org800.323.3875.
 
About STMA
 
STMA is the not-for-profit, professional association for men and women who manage sports fields worldwide. Since 1981, the association and its 34 local chapters have been providing education, information and sharing practical knowledge in the art and science of sports field management.  Its more than 2,600 members oversee sports fields and facilities at schools, colleges and universities, parks and recreational facilities, and professional sports stadiums.

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