By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information, and Kyle Schwartz, OVC Media Relations
FRANKLIN – In 1995, the Ohio Valley Conference introduced its sportsmanship statement, a first among the NCAA conferences on all levels, promoting fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent. The conference recognizes a member institution each year at its annual honors banquet that best achieves that mission.
Tennessee Tech took home the 2022-23 OVC Institutional Sportsmanship Award on Friday at this year's event in Franklin.
"Without sportsmanship, there are truly no meaningful victories," said Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner. "In receiving this prestigious honor other institutions are saying these teams and student-athletes compete with class, respect their opponents and value fair play. That is quite a compliment as those are all traits that will lead to true victories throughout the course of life."
It is the second time Tech will take home the award, last claiming the trophy following the conclusion of the 2011-12 athletic calendar.
The Golden Eagles claimed five OVC Team Sportsmanship Awards so far through the course of the athletic calendar with women's cross country, football, women's basketball, women's golf and men's golf earning recognition among the conference's 18 sponsored programs.
The Conference also awarded Tech graduate linebacker Seth Carlisle with the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award, which was established in 1998 and awarded to a male or female student-athlete of junior or later standing who best exemplifies the characteristics of the late Morehead State student-athlete and athletic director through performance, sportsmanship and citizenship.
The six team and individual sportsmanship honors combined are just a small glimpse at what the Golden Eagle athletic program does to meet the conference's standard.
"We expect the young men and women who compete for us to meet high standards, whether it's on the field of competition, in the classroom or in the community," said Tech Director of Athletics Mark Wilson. "We want these student-athletes to become leaders in life and it starts by learning to do things the right way and to be cognizant and respectful to their competitors, their fans and their communities."
The OVC started its Sportsmanship Statement in 1995 to answer the NCAA's Presidents Commission's call to improve sportsmanship in collegiate athletics and the statement has become a model for other conferences to follow. The Conference then established the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award in 1998, followed by the Team Sportsmanship and Institutional Sportsmanship Awards in 2003 to emphasize the ideals brought forth by the Sportsmanship Statement.
Photo | Jahmil Taylor, OVC
