Feb. 12, 2004

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the recipients of the Fall Sportsmanship Award on Thursday. Teams receiving the award have conducted themselves with a high degree of character and good sportsmanship, as determined by a vote of the league's teams.

The conference presents sportsmanship awards for each of its 25 sponsored sports. The concept of these awards was created by the ACC Student Athlete Advisory Committee in an effort to recognize teams who earned the utmost regard from their peers during competition. As is stated in the conference's Mission Statement, "It [the ACC] strongly adheres to the principles of integrity and sportsmanship, and supports the total development of the student-athlete and each member institution's athletics department staff, with the intent of producing enlightened leadership for tomorrow."

Florida State, North Carolina and Wake Forest each had two selections this fall, while Virginia had one. Among the fall honorees are the Wake Forest field hockey team that won both the 2003 ACC and NCAA Field Hockey Championships, the Florida State men's cross country team, that recorded the highest-ever finish in program history at the ACC Championship and the Virginia volleyball team that posted the best turnaround season in league history.

The following is a complete list of the Fall Sportsmanship Award recipients:

Sport                            Recipient
Men's Cross Country ............ Florida State
Women's Cross Country .......... Florida State
Field Hockey ................... North Carolina/Wake Forest
Men's Soccer ................... North Carolina
Women's Soccer ................. Wake Forest
Volleyball ..................... Virginia