GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas has unveiled its 2024-25 Winter Team Messick Sportsmanship Award winners.

Belmont Abbey College won four Messick Sportsmanship Awards following the winter season, women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track & field and men’s wrestling. Emmanuel University took home the award in men’s basketball while King University earned awards in men’s and women’s swimming & diving. The University of Montevallo also earned the award in men’s swimming & diving.

In addition to the individual sport winners, the league office also released the current Messick standings which are used as part of the calculation in awarding the Body, Mind & Soul Dr. Alan Patterson Cup at the annual spring meetings. Belmont Abbey leads the overall and men’s and women’s Messick standings. Southern Wesleyan University, King, Lees-McRae College and North Greenville University follow the Crusaders in the overall standings. The men’s and women’s top five are listed below.

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."

2024-25 Conference Carolinas Winter Team Messick Award Winners
Men’s Basketball: Emmanuel
Women’s Basketball: Belmont Abbey
Men’s Indoor Track & Field: Belmont Abbey
Women’s Indoor Track & Field: Belmont Abbey
Men’s Swimming & Diving: Montevallo and King
Women’s Swimming & Diving: King
Men’s Wrestling: Belmont Abbey

Overall Messick Standings (current top five)
1 – Belmont Abbey
2 – North Greenville
3 – Southern Wesleyan
4 – Lees-McRae
5 – King

Women's Messick Standings (current top five)
1 – Belmont Abbey
2 – Southern Wesleyan
3 – King
4 – Lees-McRae
5 – North Greenville

Men's Messick Standings (current top five)
1 – Belmont Abbey
2 – North Greenville
3 – Young Harris
4 – Erskine
5 – Southern Wesleyan