RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On Tuesday, the Great American Conference announced its sportsmanship awards for the 2024-25 athletic season. The league’s head coaches chose the GAC Sportsmanship Awards based on a point system.
Arkansas Tech and Ouachita Baptist each claimed three sportsmanship awards. Tech won in both men’s and women’s golf to become only the second school to win both awards in the same season. The honor in men’s golf represents the first in program history. The Golden Suns’ cross country team also captured their first sportsmanship award.
Ouachita Baptist earned its second-consecutive Sportsmanship honor for both football and softball. Both won their fourth sportsmanship awards. The Tigers collected their first for women’s track & field.
Harding garnered the award for both men’s and women’s soccer and became the first school to win for both sports in the same season. The honor represents the 11th in 13 seasons for the women’s team and the first-ever for the men’s team.
Northwestern Oklahoma State joined Tech, Ouachita and Harding as the only GAC schools to secure multiple sportsmanship awards for the year. The Rangers won their second-straight men’s track & field sportsmanship award and the first-ever accolade for women’s basketball.
Southwestern Oklahoma State volleyball received recognition for the fifth-straight year, and sixth-time overall. Southeastern Oklahoma State earned its fifth honor for men’s basketball; Henderson State claimed the award for women’s tennis for the fourth time, and the first time since 2019. Southern Nazarene baseball secured its second honor and East Central men’s cross country won the program’s first sportsmanship award.
"These awards emphasize the NCAA Division II focus on sportsmanship and game environment,” GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt said. “We could not be prouder of what these programs have put forth on the field and in ways that aren't necessarily reflected in the outcome.”
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.