GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Belmont Abbey claimed three Individual Sport Messick Awards during the spring season, bringing its total for the 2025-26 academic year to a program-record 10, the Conference Carolinas office announced today. The Crusaders' softball and the men's and women's outdoor track & field teams were voted to have the best sportsmanship by their peers.

The most recent winners joined Men's and Women's Cross Country, Women's Volleyball, Women's Soccer, Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field and Wrestling as honorees. The previous best was nine last year.

The Conference Carolinas Directors of Athletics implemented the process by which the Conference Carolinas Messick Sportsmanship Awards are determined. A student-athlete and coach from each institution vote separately upon the sportsmanship of all conference competitors. Each institution then submits those votes to the conference office where the averages are then calculated to decide the winner for each conference-sponsored sport.

The Team Messick Sportsmanship Awards are named after John D. Messick, who was the President of former conference member East Carolina from 1947-59. Messick truly championed sportsmanship and even wrote a book entitled, "Personality and Character Development."