RICHARDSON, Texas –– Hardin-Simmons University, Howard Payne University, LeTourneau University and the University of Texas at Dallas were named recipients of the American Southwest Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Team Sportsmanship Awards for the 2017-18 winter sports, the conference office announced on Thursday (March 1).
 
In women's basketball, Hardin-Simmons was named the West Division award recipient while UT Dallas was selected as the East Division honoree. Men's basketball award winners were LeTourneau University in the East Division and Howard Payne in the West Division.
 
The SAAC Team Sportsmanship Award honors the member institution in each ASC championship sport that best displays positive qualities of sportsmanship and fair play from its student-athletes, coaches and fans throughout the season. The 2017-18 year marks the 11th season the award has been presented by vote of the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committees of the American Southwest Conference.
 
Hardin-Simmons claimed its first SAAC Team Sportsmanship Award in women's basketball this season (2018) and UT Dallas was voted to its second women's basketball honor (2017, '18).
 
Howard Payne has been selected as the men's basketball SAAC Team Sportsmanship Award recipient (2008, '10, '11, '15, '18) while LeTourneau has four times been named the men's basketball honoree (2009, '15, '17, '18).
 
The next SAAC Team Sportsmanship Awards will be named after the 2018 spring seasons.