RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Thursday, the Great American Conference announced its sportsmanship awards for the 2025-26 athletic season. The league’s head coaches chose the GAC Sportsmanship Awards based on a point system.
Ouachita Baptist paced the conference with six Sportsmanship awards. The Tigers claimed the honor in football, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country plus men’s and women’s track & field. In football, the team won their third-straight accolade and their fifth overall. For the third year in the last four, they won both cross country awards. The honor for women’s track & field gave the Tigers back-to-back sportsmanship awards in the sport. The awards for women’s soccer and men’s track & field represented the first in the two sports.
Southwestern Oklahoma State collected Sportsmanship awards in volleyball, women’s golf and men’s basketball. The volleyball team won for the sixth-straight year. The win for women’s golf gave the program eight honors. The men’s basketball team won for the second time in the last three seasons.
Harding and Arkansas-Monticello each claimed two sportsmanship awards. The men’s golf team claimed their seventh, and fourth in five years. The men’s soccer team secured their second straight. UAM’s softball team collected their third honor and the women’s basketball team earned their first award.
Southern Nazarene’s baseball team claimed their second-straight sportsmanship award and Southeastern Oklahoma State won for women’s tennis for the first time in program history.
"These awards tie into the NCAA Division II emphasis on sportsmanship and game environment,” GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt said. “We are proud of these institutions that have displayed success on the scoreboard and in ways that aren't necessarily reflected in wins and losses.”
In 2012, The GAC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee initiated a sportsmanship award to be presented for all team sports. The winning school will receive a banner similar to the one presented to GAC tournament championship winners. The goal of the program is for member institutions to promote good sportsmanship among its teams, fans, and all involved with the events.