FERRUM, Va. -- Conference Carolinas has released its 2025-26 Spring Team Messick Sportsmanship Award winners, and Ferrum College has been honored with the award in women's tennis. The Ferrum women's tennis team is led by first-year Head Coach Jose Rincon.

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."

The Conference Carolinas Directors of Athletics implemented the process by which the 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.

North Greenville University won three of the league's spring Messick Awards. The league office also released the final 2025-26 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 won two Messick awards this spring, three in the winter sports season and four last fall for a total of nine awards.

Ferrum claimed three Team Messick Sportsmanship Awards in 2025-26: football last fall, women's basketball last winter and women's tennis this spring. The Panthers just completed their first season in Conference Carolinas, and the first season transitioning from NCAA Division III to Division II.

Spring 2026 Messick Award Winners
Acrobatics & Tumbling: Montevallo
Baseball: Shorter
Women's Flag Football: Barton, Mount St. Mary's, Wingate
Men's Golf: North Greenville
Women's Golf: North Greenville
Men's Lacrosse: Shorter
Women's Lacrosse: North Greenville
Softball: Belmont Abbey
Men's Tennis: Young Harris
Women's Tennis: Ferrum
Men's Outdoor Track & Field: Belmont Abbey
Women's Outdoor Track & Field: Belmont Abbey
Men's Volleyball: Lees-McRae  

Winter 2025-26 Messick Award Winners
Men's Basketball: North Greenville
Women's Basketball: Ferrum
Men's Indoor Track & Field: Belmont Abbey
Women's Indoor Track & Field: Belmont Abbey
Men's Swimming & Diving: King
Women's Swimming & Diving: UNC Pembroke
Men's Wrestling: Belmont Abbey

Fall 2025 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