Bison Hill named the fifth most beautiful campus in the West

By Allison Jarboe, Features Editor

Christian Universities Online (CUO) recently ranked Oklahoma Baptist University as fifth in its “25 Most Beautiful Christian Colleges and Universities in the West 2017.”

In addition, OBU has ranked 36 in the entire nation for its beautiful campus, and has previously been awarded similar rankings.

Not only is the overall campus aesthetically pleasing, the football field at Crain Family Stadium in the Eddie Hurt Jr. Athletic Complex was given the 2016 Oklahoma Sports Field Managers Association Field of the Year award.

The grounds team that allowed OBU to win this award consists of its athletic fields supervisor, Berry Nichols, and its groundskeeper/gardener, Andrew Thompson.

The Crain Family Stadium hosts many university football games, multiple high school activities and finals, family events, the national NCCAA track and field events and the Shawnee Little Olympics, in addition to a Relay for Life event, daily practices for OBU teams and multiple fitness classes and events.

OBU submitted its application to be put in the running for the award, and this process included extensive information about the care, usage, history,and photographic evidence regarding the field. The care of the field includes mowing, fertilizing, grub and fungus control, and core aerification. This is the first time OBU has been awarded with this honor.