GREENVILLE, S.C. – The John D. Messick Awards are some of the most important in Conference Carolinas in that they focus on sportsmanship.

In fact, Conference Carolinas believes that the virtues Conference Carolinas’ student-athletes demonstrate during practice and high-level competition are the same ones they will use as graduates and leaders to help transform our culture and make the world a better place to live.

These ideals are why winning a Team Messick Award is considered prestigious by all involved in Conference Carolinas and the latest teams to etch their names in the history books were unveiled by the conference office on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019.

King picked up two of the five Team Messick Awards from the fall with the women’s cross country and men’s soccer teams earning the honor. North Greenville men’s cross country also earned the award, while Belmont Abbey collected the award in women’s soccer. Southern Wesleyan was awarded the honor in women’s volleyball.

Conference Carolinas athletics directors 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 rankings of each school's conference-sponsored sports are then used to determine the institution which has displayed the best sportsmanship across all sports throughout the year. That institution is named the winner of the Messick Sportsmanship Award at the conclusion of the athletic year.  

The Team Messick Sportsmanship Awards are now in their 10th year. The 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." 

2019 Conference Carolinas Fall Team Messick Award Winners
Women's Cross Country: King University
Men's Cross Country: North Greenville University
Women's Soccer: Belmont Abbey College
Men's Soccer: King University
Women's Volleyball: Southern Wesleyan University