Gardner-Webb Wins 2016-17 Big South Institutional Sportsmanship Award
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Gardner-Webb University has been declared the winner of the Big South Conference’s annual Institutional Sportsmanship Award for the 2016-17 athletic season, the league announced Thursday. Gardner-Webb receives the honor for the second consecutive year.
The overall winner is determined on a system that recognizes the highest percentage of the maximum points an institution is capable of receiving for each team award. The team awards were voted on by Big South student-athletes following each conference championship, and eight different institutions were honored this past season, which are listed below.
Gardner-Webb, which was honored with 10 team sportsmanship awards in 2016-17, was tops among the Big South membership with a 43.15 percentage of the maximum points received in its sponsored league sports. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were voted by Big South student-athletes as the top sportsmanship team in baseball, women’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s indoor and outdoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field, women’s soccer, softball, women’s tennis and volleyball. UNC Asheville finished second in the Institutional Sportsmanship standings with a 21.24 percentage, followed by Liberty at 20.65 percent.
“Sportsmanship and Fair Play are core values of the Big South Conference and its members,” said Big South Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander. “The Institutional Sportsmanship Award is one of our most significant honors as it recognizes the institution that has most consistently upheld these values and conducted its athletics program in a sportsmanlike manner. We congratulate Gardner-Webb and all the team winners for their outstanding year!”
Gardner-Webb (10)
Baseball
Women’s Cross Country (co-winner)
Men’s Golf
Men’s Indoor Track & Field
Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Women’s Soccer (co-winner)
Softball
Women’s Tennis
Volleyball
UNC Asheville (2)
Men’s Cross Country
Women’s Cross Country (co-winner)
Liberty (2)
Women’s Indoor Track & Field
Men’s Tennis
Presbyterian (2)
Football (co-winner)
Women’s Soccer (co-winner)
Monmouth (1)
Football (co-winner)
Longwood (1)
Women’s Golf
Radford (1)
Women’s Lacrosse
Winthrop (1)
Men’s Soccer