ECU nabs two GAC sportsmanship awards
Jul. 3—The East Central University women's basketball team added another Great American Conference Sportsmanship Award to the program when the 2022-23 winners were announced last week by the league office.
Incredibly, the ECU women's team has now won the GAC sportsmanship honor for the third time in a row and the fifth time in the past six years.
East Central women's head basketball coach was thrilled when she learned her squad had done it again.
"I am proud of our team for playing the game the right way and treating the opposing teams and officials with a lot of respect," Hurt told The Ada News. "We have a high-character team and it shows on the court. I'm very proud of their discipline and character and I am happy the teams across the league see it as well."
One incredible example of the ECU women's basketball team's sportsmanship game late in a tough road loss to Arkansas Tech on a Thursday night in February.
ECU's Kennedy Cummings received what many believe to be a bogus technical foul for making a time-out gesture. The explanation the game official gave to the ECU coaching staff: "She was asking for a timeout too aggressively."
As egregious and bewildering as the call was, not one ECU player lost her cool.
The East Central Men's Track & Field team also won a GAC Sportsmanship Award for the third straight year.
"I think it's cool that the award is chosen by other coaches and that they see what you are doing," said ECU track and cross country head coach Steve Sawyer. "It just goes to show you can compete with someone and want to beat them but respect them at the same time. I get a lot of other athletes and that come to me and tell me they loved running with our kids."
Ouachita Baptist paced the way with four Sportsmanship awards. The Tigers repeated in men's cross country and claimed its third straight for women's tennis. They added awards for men's cross country and men's basketball
Harding collected Sportsmanship awards for women's soccer, men's golf and baseball. In baseball, the Bisons have claimed eight of the 10 all-time Sportsmanship awards. In men's golf, Harding has won five Sportsmanship awards.
Northwestern and Southwestern joined ECU in winning two Sportsmanship awards. The Rangers football team collected its third Sportsmanship award in football and added Women's Track & Field. SWOSU captured its third straight in volleyball and added a Sportsmanship title for softball.
Oklahoma Baptist won the third GAC Sportsmanship award in school history as the Bison claimed the honor for women's golf. Fort Hays State won for men's soccer for the second time in the last three seasons.
"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 their teams, fans, and all involved with the events.
