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Belmont University receives 2013-2014 OVC Institutional Sportsmanship AwardFrom Belmont Sports Information
The award goes to the Conference institution selected by its peers to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical conduct as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. “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.” The award, which was implemented in August 2003, is one of three accolades bestowed by the Conference to honor sportsmanship. 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 characteristics of the late Morehead State University student-athlete and athletics director by way of significant athletics performance and good sportsmanship and citizenship.For the past nine years, the league has presented team-specific sportsmanship awards to programs at OVC member institutions based on the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans, and voted on by the league’s coaches and student-athletes in each respective sport. In 2013-14, Belmont University men’s basketball, volleyball, men’s indoor track and field, and women’s indoor track and field received OVC team-specific sportsmanship awards (baseball yet to be announced). This marks the 11th time the Institutional Sportsmanship Award has been bestowed and first award for Belmont University in its second year as an OVC member institution. 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. Belmont University men’s basketball graduate J.J. Mann (Smyrna, Ga.) was also honored at the event as recipient of the Steve Hamilton Award. SectionsAnnouncements, Associations, Basketball (Men), Basketball (Women), Belmont University, Colleges, Cross Country, Featured Story, NCAA, Ohio Valley Conference, Soccer (Men), Soccer (Women), Softball, Sports, Tennis, Track & Field, VolleyballTopicsBelmont, Belmont Bruins, Belmont Sports Information, Belmont University, Beth DeBauche, Bruins, Honors Brunch, Institutional Sportsmanship Award, J.J. Mann, Morehead State University, NCAA, Ohio Valley Conference, OVC, OVC Commissioner, Smyrna Georgia, Steve Hamilton Award, Steve Hamilton Sporsmanship Award |