BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Recently the Ohio Valley Conference announced its most recent set of recipients of the league's inaugural Team Sportsmanship Awards. Among the squads capturing the honor for the spring season were the women's track and field and men's and women's tennis programs from Jacksonville State University.

Voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports, the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans.

"Sportsmanship is a core value of the Ohio Valley Conference," said OVC Commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher, "and it is especially gratifying for our student-athletes and coaches to be recognized for their leadership by the very individuals against whom they compete. The JSU women's tennis and track and field programs are to be congratulated for their dedication to excellence."

"Jacksonville State University takes great pride in its athletic accomplishments," said JSU Director of Athletics Jim Fuller, "but we are most proud of the student-athletes and what they represent. I'm extremely proud of our tennis and track and field teams for their outstanding seasons, but I'm equally proud for our teams earning the Sportsmanship Award."

"I think our teams are very deserving of these awards," said JSU head tennis coach Steve Bailey. "We try hard in every match that we play and we always play to win, but the one thing we always strive to do is show sportsmanship. We stress sportsmanship each and every day at practice and it's good to see when our players buy into it. We're very proud of this award.

"We were pleased to hear about the award," said JSU head track and field coach Steve Ray. "One of the things that (JSU Assistant) Coach (Pristina) Jones and I want to make an important part of our program is to display sportsmanship and be gracious in winning and losing. We are very proud that the Ohio Valley Conference has recognized us for this honor."

Implemented in August, 2005, the team honors are the most recent addition to an awards program that recognizes and celebrates sportsmanship within the Conference. In 1998, the league established the Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to a male or female student-athlete of junior or senior standing who best exemplifies the characteristics of the late Morehead State student-athlete, coach and administrator. Five years later, the Conference added the OVC Sportsmanship Award, presented annually to the member institution selected by its peers to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA.

In 1995, the Ohio Valley Conference implemented a first-of-its-kind "Sportsmanship Statement," a policy promoting principles of fair play, ethical conduct and respect for one's opponent. The statement answered the challenge of the NCAA Presidents Commission to improve sportsmanship in collegiate athletics, and has become a model for others to follow across the nation.