PAC Announces Its 2013 Spring Team Sportsmanship Award Winners 5/15/2013 11:07:23 AM GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its 2013 Spring Team Sportsmanship Award winners Wednesday. The Grove City College men and Washington & Jefferson College women were chosen by the league’s respective programs as the sportsmanship award winners in outdoor track and field, while Geneva College and the Grove City were picked as the award winners in baseball and softball. The Westminster College men’s tennis program was selected as the Sportsmanship Award winner and Thiel College was chosen in both men’s and women’s golf. The PAC Team Sportsmanship Award program was instituted during the 2008-09 sports season and is an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among conference teams. The award is sponsored by the PAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a group comprised of student-athletes from each member institution that assembles to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. “The PAC, its leadership and its members continue to take every step necessary to ensure that our conference is providing positive athletic opportunities as an integral aspect of the educational experience of our student-athletes,” said conference commissioner Joe Onderko. “We have, and will continue to, place the greatest importance on sportsmanship, personal conduct and safe and collegial environments in which our student-athletes compete. The PAC Team Sportsmanship Awards provide us with a platform to recognize those teams that embrace and are committed to fostering the principles of good sportsmanship.” This is the fifth year the PAC Team Sportsmanship Awards will be given out in each of the 19 PAC sponsored varsity sports. Each PAC program is asked to vote for the conference team in its sport which displayed the highest level of sportsmanship. The awards are handed out at the conclusion of the fall, winter and spring seasons. The NCAA launched a sportsmanship initiative, titled “RESPECT,” during the 2009 NCAA Convention. Spearheaded by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct, the campaign is focused on addressing negative fan behavior and encouraging student-athletes and coaches to take the lead in creating a culture of sportsmanship and respect. 2013 Spring PAC Team Sportsmanship Award winners: Men’s Track & Field – Grove City College Women’s Track & Field – Washington & Jefferson College Baseball – Geneva College Softball – Grove City College Men’s Tennis – Westminster College Men’s Golf – Thiel College Women’s Golf – Thiel College 2012-13 Winter PAC Team Sportsmanship Award winners: Men's Swimming and Diving – Grove City College Women's Swimming and Diving – Saint Vincent College Men's Basketball – Geneva College Women's Basketball – Geneva College Wrestling – Thiel College 2012 Fall PAC Team Sportsmanship Award winners: Men’s Cross Country – Waynesburg University Women’s Cross Country – Bethany College Football – Washington & Jefferson College Men’s Soccer – Waynesburg University Women’s Soccer – Grove City College Women's Volleyball – Grove City College Women’s Tennis – Geneva College