The Great Lakes Valley Conference has announced that the Maryville University women’s basketball team and women’s indoor track and field squad are two of the recipients of the GLVC Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Sportsmanship Awards for the winter season. In addition to the two Saints squads, the Missouri S&T men’s basketball team, the William Jewell women’s indoor track and field squad and the Wisconsin-Parkside men’s indoor track and field were all honored by their peers as best displaying ‘Good Sportsmanship’ during the 2011-12 winter sports season.
 
The GLVC Team Sportsmanship Award is determined through a voting procedure, and conducted by each member institution’s campus SAAC Program. The SAAC Presidents distribute the ballots to each fall sports program, and the members of each team select their top three choices in rank order based on their view of sportsmanship throughout the year. First place votes receive the highest point value (three), while second place votes receive two points, and third place votes receive one point. The point totals are then tallied for each sport, and a winner is declared. The GLVC sponsors the award in each of the league’s 17 championship sports.
 
The Saints women’s basketball team won Maryville’s first GLVC Championship and earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament in their first season of eligibility. The women’s basketball team was previously selected for the SAAC Sportsmanship Award in 2009-10. The Maryville indoor track and field team set 26 different school records during their season.
 
Past Maryville teams to earn the GLVC Sportsmanship award include the 2011 softball team and the 2011-12 women’s tennis program.