(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - The USA South Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has announced that Ferrum College has been chosen as the winner of the 2011 USA South Sportsmanship Trophy. Ferrum won the Sportsmanship Trophy after picking up the Sportsmanship Award in five sports during the 2010-2011 academic year. This is the first-ever Sportsmanship Trophy for the Panthers who were chosen as individual Sportsmanship Award winners in baseball, men's tennis, women's lacrosse, volleyball and men's soccer.

There is a Sportsmanship Award for 11 of the 14 Conference-sponsored sports. For each sport, all team members vote for the teams they deem to have demonstrated the best overall sportsmanship throughout the season. The team garnering the most votes receives that sport's Sportsmanship Award. The school that wins the most individual sport awards wins the overall USA South Sportsmanship Trophy. The award came about through SAAC's commitment to maintaining a sportsmanlike environment on each of our campuses.

Peace College and Methodist University were the only other schools to win multiple (two each) Sportsmanship Awards during the past academic year. Single Sportsmanship Award winners last year were Christopher Newport University and Mary Baldwin College.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee hopes that by awarding a Sportsmanship Award, the members of the USA South will understand the importance of this issue. It is vital that good sportsmanship be demonstrated in the arena of competition.

2010-11 Team Sportsmanship Award Winners
Baseball - Ferrum College
Softball - Mary Baldwin College
Men's Tennis - Ferrum College
Women's Tennis - Peace College
Women's Lacrosse - Ferrum College
Men's Basketball - Methodist University
Women's Basketball - Methodist University
Football - Christopher Newport University
Volleyball - Ferrum College
Men's Soccer - Ferrum College
Women's Soccer - Peace College

Past Sportsmanship Trophy Recipients
2010-11 - Ferrum College
2009-10 - Mary Baldwin College
2008-09 - Mary Baldwin College
2007-08 - Christopher Newport University
2006-07 - Averett University
2005-06 - Averett University
2004-05 - N.C. Wesleyan College