Three Programs Repeat as SCAC Winter Team Sportsmanship Award Winners

Three Programs Repeat as SCAC Winter Team Sportsmanship Award Winners

SUWANEE, Ga. – The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) announced its 2023-24 Winter Sportsmanship Team awards on Friday, highlighted by three programs repeating as honorees in their respective sports.

The Austin College men's and women's swimming programs, along with Colorado College women's basketball squad all repeated as winners from a year ago. The Schreiner University men's basketball team earned its first sportsmanship honor to round out the honorees. 

The SCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee instituted the award prior to the 2016-17 academic year in an effort to honor the team that best portrays good sportsmanship and fair play from the players and coaches during the season. The winter awards are presented in men's and women's basketball and men's and women's swimming and diving.

In swimming and diving, Austin College swept the team sportsmanship honors for the second consecutive year. The ‘Roo men were the top choice with Colorado College finishing second and McMurry University third. This marks the third consecutive honor for the Austin College men, the only program in men’s swimming to three-peat since the creation of the award. The ‘Roos join Southwestern (2016-17, 2018-19 & 2019-20) as the only other men’s swimming program to win the award three times.  

For the women, Austin College earned top honors for the second-consecutive season, followed by Colorado College and Southwestern. The program join the Southwestern University women (2018-19 & 2019-20) as the only women’s swimming teams to win back-to-back team sportsmanship accolades. This year marks the fourth time in SCAC history one institution has taken home top honors in both men’s and women’s swimming and diving.

Schreiner took top honors in men’s basketball for the first time in program history. While this marks the first honor in men’s basketball for Schreiner, it is the 11th time in school history a team has earned SCAC Sportsmanship Team honors. The Mountaineers were followed in the balloting by Trinity University and Texas Lutheran University.

In women’s basketball, Colorado College secured the award for the third-straight year and sixth time in program history. This current run of three-straight honors is the first of its kind in SCAC women’s basketball. CC also won the honor in back-to-back years in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and was additionally recognized in 2019-20 in addition to its current run of three-straight. Southwestern finished second, while Texas Lutheran rounded out the top three in balloting by their peers.

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference 2023-24 Winter Team Sportsmanship Award
Men's Basketball: Schreiner University
Women's Basketball: Colorado College
Men's Swimming & Diving: Austin College
Women's Swimming & Diving: Austin College

The awards were voted on by each member institution's SAAC, with each individual group ranking the top three teams in each sport. The first place selections were awarded five points, second place earned three points and third place earned one point. Points were then totaled to select the conference's overall winner.

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