Kennesaw State wins award for best managed sporting grounds in U.S.

Kennesaw State running back Shaq Terry stiff arms a Clark Atlanta University football player during a game on Sept. 22, 2018 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

Credit: Cecil Copeland

Credit: Cecil Copeland

Kennesaw State running back Shaq Terry stiff arms a Clark Atlanta University football player during a game on Sept. 22, 2018 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

All other sporting grounds in America can eat their own dirt when compared to Fifth Third Bank Stadium.

The Sports Turf Managers Association named the home of the Kennesaw State University Owls in its 2018 “Field of the Year” winners, which was released Tuesday.

The STMA is a nonprofit group of 2,700 turf management professionals.

The group makes its annual list by having a panel of 13 judges independently score entries based on certain criteria: playability, appearance of surfaces, utilization of innovative solutions, effective use of budget and implementation of a comprehensive agronomic program.

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KSU announced in June that it would be the first football team in the Western Hemisphere playing on "carpet-based hybrid grass technology." The material, grown in Braselton, is a mix of real grass and fibers, all of which are supposed to provide players more stability and a more consistent playing surface.

The school will receive the award at the STMA Conference & Exhibition in Phoenix in late January.

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