CHARLOTTE, N.C. ? VMI earned a pair of Big South Spring Sportsmanship Awards for this past athletic season, as the honors were announced by the league June 24. The Keydets were tabbed the winners in both baseball and men's outdoor track and field.

VMI baseball recieved the honor for the third-consecutive year, as on the diamond, the Keydets had a campaign highlighted by their first-ever Big South Tournament win, a 13-4 win over Gardner-Webb in the tournament's play-in games. At the conclusion of the 2009 season, VMI saw a pair of players taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, Travis Smink and Tanner Biagini. That marked the fourth-consecutive year the program could claim that distinction.

Men's outdoor track and field enjoyed a banner year for VMI as well, as the Keydets earned a runner-up conference finish for the first time since joining the Big South. Fifth-year senior Donnie Cowart led the team to that placing, and went on to earn All-American honors at the NCAA Championships, as he earned a 12th-place finish in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The Big South Team Sportsmanship awards are voted on by Big South student-athletes and are awarded at the end of each competitive season.  Teams cannot vote for themselves.  Each institution ranks and votes for its top three.  Teams receive three points for a first-place ranking, two points for a second-place ranking and one point for a third-place ranking. The Keydets have now won or shared six of the awards given this academic year.

With the 2008-09 season complete, the Big South Conference's Institutional Sportsmanship Award is scheduled to be announced the week of June 28.  An institution's sport winners count towards the Institution Sportsmanship Award and the winner is determined on a system recognizing the highest percentage of the maximum possible points each institution is capable of achieving in that year.  The institution with the highest percentage will win the award.  VMI has won the Big South's Institutional Sportsmanship Award all three years of the award's history.

Portions of this release are courtesy of the Big South Office of Public Relations.