April 14, 2008
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday the recipients of the 2008 Winter Sportsmanship Awards. Teams receiving the awards have conducted themselves with a high degree of character and good sportsmanship, as determined by a vote of the league's players and coaches.
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."
Of the five schools recognized for their sportsmanship in one of seven league-sponsored winter sports, three are repeat honorees. The Maryland wrestling team, which earned its first ACC title in more than 30 years this past season, has now won the sportsmanship award three of the last four years. The Georgia Tech women's track & field program earned its third sportsmanship award in the past five seasons, while Virginia Tech's women's basketball team won its second honor since 2006.
With two more accolades from this past season, Virginia Tech has now earned a league-high 17 sportsmanship awards.
The following is a complete list of the 2008 Winter Sportsmanship Award recipients:
Men's Basketball
North Carolina
Women's Basketball
Virginia Tech
Men's Indoor Track & Field
Georgia Tech
Women's Indoor Track & Field
Georgia Tech
Men's Swimming & Diving
Virginia Tech
Women's Swimming & Diving
Clemson
Wrestling
Maryland
