Sports Turf Managers Association, which is comprised of 2,700 men and women professionals overseeing sports fields worldwide, has declared Josh Lenz the winner of the ‘Stars and Stripes’ contest.

Lenz is the assistant manager of athletic grounds for Arizona State University.

With his “Sun Devils Salute to Service” field design at Sun Devil Stadium, he has won a complimentary pass to the 2022 STMA Annual Conference in Savannah, Georgia, according to a press release.

The winning submission narrowly won by 114 votes which were cast through Facebook’s voting platform.

“After missing a year of this contest due to the pandemic, it’s been even more inspiring to see the creativity of our members on display this summer,” Kim Heck, CEO of Sports Turf Managers. said in a prepared statement.

“Josh and his team are deserving winners and we look forward to showcasing their design when our conference returns to its in-person format in January.”
Upon graduating from Iowa State with his master's of science in horticulture, Lenz spent two years working full-time at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

He joined the team at Arizona State in 2018 and is responsible for overseeing the operations in and around Sun Devil Stadium, the release states.

“This is a tremendous event that I’ve had my eye on for years,” Lenz said in the release. “To finally be part of it was a great honor and the credit goes to our entire team, especially Brian Johnson who had a huge role in bringing our patriotic concept to life.”