FERRUM, Va. -- Conference Carolinas has unveiled its 2025-26 fall Team Messick Sportsmanship Award winners, and Ferrum College earned was honored with the award in football.

Belmont Abbey College won four awards, taking both the men's and women's cross country Messick awards, as well as women's soccer and women's volleyball. Erskine College claimed the men's soccer award and Ferrum earned the Messick award in football.

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 women's Messick standings while Erskine leads the men's standings. North Greenville University, Erskine, Ferrum and Young Harris College 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 University from 1947-59. Messick truly championed sportsmanship and even wrote a book entitled, "Personality and Character Development."

2025-26 Fall Messick Award Winners
Men's Cross Country: Belmont Abbey
Women's Cross Country: Belmont Abbey
Football: Ferrum
Men's Soccer: Erskine
Women's Soccer: Belmont Abbey
Women's Volleyball: Belmont Abbey

Ferrum closed out the 2025 football season at 4-7 overall under second-year Head Coach Kevin Sherman. The Panthers were 3-3 in Conference Carolinas play, finishing tied for third place in the seven-team standings. The Panthers had three players earn All-Conference this fall, including wide receiver Omarza Gray, who was named Freshman Offensive Player of the Year following a stellar rookie campaign.