By Brittani Wright

From winning on the field to earning recognition for outstanding sportsmanship, the University of St. Thomas student-athletes had great success as they celebrated their last year at the Red River Athletic Conference.

The culmination of that success was the Celt student-athletes being selected as the 2018-2019 RRAC Sportsmanship Award winners; the seventh consecutive year they have been recognized.

RRAC Sportsmanship Award

The RRAC Sportsmanship Award is given to the member institution that displayed the highest level of sportsmanship throughout their athletic program during the most recent academic year. This includes teamwork, fair play, respect for the game and conduct in competition. The school's sportsmanship must be apparent across multiple sports - on and off the field, and in interaction with other RRAC member schools, according to RedRiverConference.com

“This is our seventh straight RRAC award,” Todd Smith, athletic director, said. “We are very proud to have well rounded student-athletes. They are great representatives for us on the field and in competition against our opponents. I like to think it carries over into the classroom and on the campus.”

Celt Recognition in All Categories

UST maintained its reputation while recording its first regular season women's soccer conference championship, first share of the RRAC volleyball title and second RRAC men's basketball tournament championship.

UST's entire athletic staff is committed to the program's sportsmanship mantra; teamwork, fair play, respect for the game and conduct in competition. The Celts received three awards, winning the overall sportsmanship honor and the awards for men's and women's programs.

Out with a Bang

UST has been a member of the RRAC since 2011, but is leaving the conference this summer as the program transitions to NCAA, Division III, where they have joined the SCAC conference.

“To win a sportsmanship award and also have success on the field can be difficult to accomplish,” Smith said. “All you can do is strive to be the best representative of UST in every interaction that you have. Whether you are competing on the soccer field, basketball court, golf course, interacting with other coaches, we walk away leaving an impression of excellent sportsmanship.”

As they transition into the next phase of the Athletics program, the Celts have left their mark on the RRAC as athletes to remember.