Sports Turf Managers Association Announces 2014 ‘Field of the Year Award’ Winners

Leaders in Baseball, Football, Soccer, Softball, Sporting Grounds Receive Prestigious Honor

(LAWRENCE, Kan.) – Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA) – the professional association for 2,600 men and women who manage sports fields worldwide – today announces its 2014 “Field of the Year Award” winners.

Since 1992, STMA’s Field of the Year Award is given to members who manage baseball, football, soccer, softball and other sporting grounds at the professional, collegiate or schools (K-12) and parks and recreation level. The 2014 winners are listed below:

Professional

Soccer – Maryland SoccerPlex Stadium Field (Boyds, Md.): Ryan Bjorn, Sports Field Director
College and University

Baseball – Russ Chandler Stadium at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.): Jon DeWitt, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager; Chris May, Baseball Field Manager
Football – “The Swamp” at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium – University of Florida (Gainesville, Fla.): Jason Smith, Turf Coordinator
Softball – John Cropp Stadium at University of Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.): Eric Harshman, Sports Turf Assistant Manager
Soccer – Georgia State Soccer Complex at Georgia State University (Atlanta, Ga.): Kyle Slaton, CSFM, Director of Sports Turf & Grounds
Schools and Parks

Baseball – Don Dunker Field at Noblesville Schools (Noblesville, Ind.): Joshua Weigel, Superintendent of Grounds
Football – Clover Memorial Stadium at Clover School District (Clover, S.C.): Will Rogers, Sports Turf Manager
Softball – Waukegan Park District (Waukegan, Ill.): Noel Brusius, CSFM, Sports Turf Manager
Soccer – North Area Athletic Complex Soccer Field at Jefferson County School District (Golden, Colo.): Sun Roesslein, Stadium Manager; Christi Clay, Stadium Manager
Sporting Grounds – Championship Field at Pleasant View Sports Complex (Boulder, Colo.): Don McGhee, Head Sports Turf Manager
“The Field of the Year Award is a testament to the personal and professional contributions by a select group of sports turf industry leaders,” says Kim Heck, CEO of STMA. “The process of selecting winners each year becomes more difficult as the candidate pool grows and the industry continues to progress with innovative technologies, state-of-the-art equipment and best practices.”
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 2015 issue of Sports Turf Magazine.

Awards will be presented at the 26th STMA Conference & Exhibition in Denver, Colo. Jan. 13-16, 2015. Nearly 1,200 leaders in the sports turf industry will converge on the Colorado Convention Center for more than 75 hours of leading-edge educational seminars, exhibitor demonstrations, and networking opportunities.

For more information: www.stma.org, 800.323.3875.

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.