FIELD OF THE YEAR COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Level and category of submission: College Football Field manager: Josh Lenz Title: Athletic field manager Education: Master’ s degree in Horticulture
Experience: Student groundskeeper, Iowa State University; graduate assistant groundskeeper, Iowa State University; won the Toro Super Bowl Internship while at Iowa State; NFL International Series grounds crew; assistant groundskeeper, University of Colorado – Boulder; assistant groundskeeper, Arizona State University; athletic field manager, Arizona State University Athletics.
Original facility construction: 1958 Full-time staff: Mike Kuhn and Michael Klakulak
Turfgrass: Bermuda 419( May to mid-October) overseeded with a three-way blend of perennial ryegrass from Seed Research of Oregon.
Soil amendments: Humate, wetting agents Rootzone: Sand Drainage: Yes
SportsField Management( SFM): Congratulations on the Field of the Year win. What are you most proud of with this win? Josh Lenz: I’ m most proud of our crew and the challenges we overcame in 2024. Most of the time this is a behind-thescenes, thankless job. I did not tell the crew I was applying for this award. They just continued to buy in and show up each day, and performed at an incredibly high level despite all our challenges. I’ m incredibly thankful for them, and it’ s so rewarding for me to see them receive this honor. It’ s a team effort, and they deserve all the recognition for an unbelievable year and a job well done.
SFM: What were the biggest challenges you have faced with the winning field, and how have you approached those challenges? Lenz: Staffing, event load and weather. We spent most of 2024 significantly understaffed. I think there were a lot of moments when most of the crew questioned whether they’ d make it through the year— or if they even wanted to do this job anymore. When you struggle with staffing, a heavier workload with more events, and some of the harshest weather in the country, it takes that much more of a toll on the crew.
With all the changes in college athletics recently, it’ s making the job more challenging. We’ re seeing more frequent
10 SportsField Management | November 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com