Murray Cook, president of BrightView’s Sports Turf division, was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame as part of its Class of 2025 in a ceremony on April 26 in Virginia Beach. A native of Salem, Va., Cook’s career in sports field design, construction and management has left an indelible mark on fields worldwide.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing teams and organizations that have allowed me to build fields in some of the most unique and historic locations,” Cook said. “This honor is not just mine, but it also belongs to everyone who has supported my dreams and has worked alongside me throughout my career.”
Cook began his journey into sports turf and field management at the age of 13 as a bat boy for the single-A Salem Pirates. He went on to become the head groundskeeper in 1975. In 1991, he was appointed as Major League Baseball’s Official Field Consultant, a role in which he has overseen the development of playing surfaces in more than 60 countries. His expertise has been instrumental in high-profile projects such as the MLB at Field of Dreams games in Iowa, the London Series at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the recent renovations at historic Rickwood Field in Alabama, and the upcoming MLB Speedway Classic in Tennessee.
In recognition of his numerous contributions and astounding work, Cook was inducted into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006, and in 2021 the Salem City Council proclaimed every September 27 as “Murray Cook Day.” He has also previously been named as the 1991 SportsTurf Man of the Year, and served as the president of the Sports Turf Managers Association (now known as the Sports Field Management Association).
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized by the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame,” said Cook. “Growing up here in the Roanoke Valley, I never imagined shagging baseballs as a kid would take me around the world as it has. I want to thank my family, friends, colleagues and mentors who have helped me throughout my career. Without them, I wouldn’t be standing here today. Their support is everything.”
The 2025 class also included basketball player and current NBA referee Brandon Adair, broadcaster Dan Bonner, former NFL and Canadian Football League player Ed George, former professional soccer player Ali Krieger, sportswriter Harry Minium Jr., former NBA player Joe Smith, high school football coach Mike Smith, and former MLB player Lou Whitaker.
The Bill Rose Foundation — formed in memory and honor of Bill Rose, the founder of Pure Seed, Roselawn and Pure-Seed Testing — is determined to continue innovation in the turfgrass industry through support of students and academic research programs across the United States. The Foundation recently announced its 2025 Travel Scholarship winners.
Brynna Bruxellas, North Carolina State University
Brynna Bruxellas grew up in Falls City, Nebraska and earned her B.A. in Geography from Concordia University-Nebraska, with minors in Geospatial Technology and Environmental Studies. She graduated with honors while also playing for the women’s basketball team and serving as the Rotaract Club president. Her interests in agriculture and technology, paired with her passion for knowledge led her to N.C. State University in the summer of 2023. Brynna is currently pursuing her master’s in Crop Science and is conducting research on the use of artificial intelligence and drones to help measure and characterize turfgrass quality. At NC-State, Brynna has engaged with the academic community, presenting her research at conferences including the 2024 Carolinas Golf Superintendent Association Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. Brynna will be graduating in the spring of 2025 with a degree in Crop Science, a Data Science Certificate, and GIS Minor.
Mariah Cashbaugh, Purdue University
Mariah Cashbaugh received their B.S. in Microbiology from West Liberty University before moving on to pursue a Ph.D. in Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. Advised by Dr. Lee Miller, Mariah’s research focuses on the transmission of turfgrass pathogens or bioinoculants through the rhizosphere of golf course greens. Further, this research hopes to detect and monitor microbes quantitively throughout the season to inform application timing and improve fungicide efficacy.
Juan Romero Cubas, Virginia Tech
Juan developed a passion for agriculture at an early age while growing up on his family’s coffee farm in Honduras. In 2023, he joined Askew’s lab at Virginia Tech, where his research focuses on innovative organic weed control strategies in turfgrass systems. His work investigates the efficacy and dose response of cutting-edge technologies, such as liquid nitrogen, diode lasers, and radiant heat, offering promising alternatives to traditional methods. This research marks the initial phase of an ambitious project that aims to integrate these innovations with robotics and artificial intelligence. With herbicide-resistant weeds on the rise, synthetic herbicide regulations tightening, and public demand for non-chemical solutions growing, Juan’s efforts are set to redefine sustainable weed management in turfgrass and beyond.
Parul Mandal, Kansas State University
Parul Mandal is a Ph.D. student in the Braun Turf-grass Lab at Kansas State University, where she is conducting research on evaluating the effects of seed coatings on the storage, germination and establishment of cool-season turfgrass species. Her innovative work has the potential to revolutionize turfgrass management and seed storage technologies. Parul earned her M.Sc. in Agronomy and Crop Management from Punjab Agricultural University and her B.Sc. in Agriculture from CCS Haryana Agricultural University in India. Parul currently serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Basic Turfgrass Culture course, where she assists with lab sessions, delivers lectures, and guides students in turfgrass identification and management practices. She is actively engaged in leadership and professional development activities and has received several recognitions, including the prestigious 2024 Gerald O. Mott Award from the Crop Science Society of America, which honors outstanding graduate students in crop science.
Saptarshi Mondal, University of Georgia, Griffin
“As a citizen of India, where agriculture is the backbone of the economy, I was inspired to pursue my academic career with a BS in Agriculture. Continuing to explore the mysterious riddles of crop improvement housed inside that double helical structure, DNA, I joined the MS program at the Punjab Agricultural University, renowned for pioneering work of the Green Revolution in India. Currently, I am pursuing my doctoral studies in understanding the genetics of salt tolerance in Zoysiagrass as a graduate student at the University of Georgia, Griffin campus under the supervision of Dr. David Jespersen. I have developed my research experience both in field- and greenhouse-based experiments. Broadly, my research skills include hybridization followed by selection of plants, screening of bi-parental populations and association panels for QTL mapping, Bulk-segregant RNA sequencing, transcriptomics, and metabolomics. I express my sincere thanks to the Bill Rose Foundation for this award!”
Clarissa Hunter Peterson, Brigham Young University
Clarissa is in her second year of grad school, and will be earning a master’s in Environmental Science from Brigham Young University. Her research focuses on hybrid bermudagrass dormancy management in a cool-season climate. She has given several tours and presentations to various groups in Utah, educating them on the advantages of hybrid bermudagrass.
PH Holdings, the parent company of PH Outdoors and PH Turf, has acquired Turf Pride USA, a leading manufacturer of professional turf maintenance equipment. This acquisition marks a new chapter in innovation and service for turf professionals across the country.
Founded by Don Cotton, Turf Pride USA built a reputation for rugged, reliable solutions that enhance turf health and maintenance efficiency. The company’s flagship products — including the Core Collector, deep tine aerators, and the Trion series of lifts —have become staples on golf courses and sports fields nationwide.
“After 23 years of growing Turf Pride, I wanted to ensure the next chapter was in good hands,” said Don Cotton. “PH Holdings shares our core values, work ethic, and passion for this industry. I couldn’t ask for a better team to continue the mission.”
The acquisition strengthens PH Holdings’ presence in the turf care market. Its two subsidiaries — PH Turf, a distributor of high-end turf machinery, and PH Outdoors, a premier name in land management and wildlife habitat equipment — will now be complemented by Turf Pride’s U.S.-based manufacturing and engineering expertise.
“Don Cotton is a legend in our industry,” said Paul Hollis, CEO of PH Holdings. “Turf Pride’s Core Collector and Trion lifts are among the most respected equipment on the market. We’re honored to carry that legacy forward and bring these American-built products to even more turf professionals.”
The 15th International Turfgrass Research Conference (ITRC) will be held at the Karuizawa Prince Hotel West in Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan from July 12-16, 2025. This is only the second time that the conference will be held in Japan; it was first hosted in Tokyo in 1989. Karuizawa is a popular summer resort area for the residents of Tokyo, and it has convenient access from central Tokyo.
The combined knowledge of researchers and engineers from Japan and abroad will be brought together at the 2025 ITRC to help solve “existing issues” and encourage people in industry, government, and academia to work together to create a green and rich living environment that maximizes green space in society.
The event will feature keynote speeches, a practitioner seminar, oral and poster research presentations, a Zoysiagrass symposium, graduate student contest awards, as well as an all-day technical tour visiting Saitama and Nagano.
A graduate student competition will once again take place at the 2025 ITRC. Competitions will be held for oral presentations and entrants will be divided into multiple categories based on their topic of research. The top contestants in each category will receive a complimentary ITS student membership and a modest cash prize. The presenting author of an accepted manuscript must be a graduate student at the time of the 2025 ITRC to be eligible for the competition.
For more information, visit https://itrc2025.turfsociety.com/