May 19, 2009

Brentwood, Tenn. - On Tuesday the Ohio Valley Conference announced that the Southeast Missouri State University men's squad and the Tennessee Technological University women's program are the recipients of the 2008-09 Team Sportsmanship Awards men's and women's outdoor track and field.

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.

"The Ohio Valley Conference puts a great deal of value on sportsmanship and respect for your opponent," said Brad Walker, Interim OVC Commissioner. "Student-athletes are the most visible representatives of their institutions as well as the OVC and we have high expectations on them to show sportsmanlike behavior. The OVC Sportsmanship Award winner should take pride in being honored by their peers as the program that exemplifies the league's commitment to sportsmanship."

The 2008-09 school year marks the fourth year the team sportsmanship honors have been awarded. It is the first award for each Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech.

The Southeast Missouri men's team finished third at this year's outdoor championship, scoring 124 team points.

"It is good to know that the other teams in our conference think our men are good sports," said Southeast Missouri State head coach Eric Crumpecker. "Our men work hard to win, but have been gracious in winning and losing. We want our athletes to conduct themselves in a manner the University can be proud of. We want to be a class act."