RICHARDSON, Texas –– Senior student-athletes Ty Palmer of Texas Lutheran University and Krissy Seaman of the University of Texas at Dallas have been named winners of the 2008-09 American Southwest Conference Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award, the ASC office announced on Tuesday (May 19) after a vote of the league’s Directors of Athletics.

The ASC Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Award honors a male and female student-athlete who best displays the attributes of sportsmanship, leadership, citizenship and academic integrity in their athletic, academic and life pursuits. To become a nominee on the conference-wide ballot, a student-athlete must win the ASC Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year award in their respective sport. This is the tenth year the ASC has presented its Sportsmanship Award and the fourth year the award is being presented after being renamed in honor of the Conference’s first commissioner, Fred Jacoby.

Football player Palmer and volleyball player Seaman, who become the first recipients of the award from their respective institutions, will represent the ASC on the NCAA Division III National Sportsmanship Award ballot.

Palmer (Kerrville, TX / Tivy HS) has served as TLU’s student president for Fellowship of Christian Athletes for three years, and he has volunteered his time in the TLU community and his hometown of Kerrville, Texas, for the betterment of others. Palmer has worked on the Day of the Dog service day projects, which have focused on community clean-up and project improvements in the city of Seguin, Texas, and he has worked with Kerrville First United Methodist Church in reaching out to the impoverished local residents. A four-year letterman and three-year starter in football, Palmer was a 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First Team selection, a three-time ASC Academic All-Conference selection, the 2008-09 TLU Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the 2008-09 TLU Male Community Service award winner. He finished his degree with a GPA of 3.8.

Seaman (Mansfield, TX / MHS) is the first four-year senior in Texas-Dallas volleyball program history and has proven to be the ideal student-athlete. Seaman has served as the Comets’ team captain and is know as the “team mom.” She has won UTD’s Comet Award each season and helped the Comets win their first ASC title in 2008. She won second-team All-ASC East Division honors in her first season and was named to the ASC Academic All-Conference Team three times. She was honored twice as a UTD Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. Seaman is very respectful to teammates, staff, opponents and officials. Seaman is very active on campus other than on the court. She is the team’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative and is a Student Ambassador. She is also a member of the honors program. Seaman recently graduated and has been hired to teach math at Richardson High School in the Richardson Independent School District.

2008-09 ASC SPORTSMANSHIP ATHLETE OF THE YEAR HONOREES