For the Gazette

STEVENS POINT – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, in partnership with Rural Mutual Insurance Company, has selected the team Sportsmanship Award winners for the 2022 Spring State Team Tournaments.

The winners of the award are: St. Croix Falls High School in baseball, Superior High School in softball, Assumption High School in girls soccer, and Eau Claire Memorial High School in boys tennis.

St. Croix Falls demonstrated sportsmanship with respectful and positive enthusiasm in its two games at the State Baseball Tournament en route to a runner-up finish in Division 3. It’s the first time the Saints have been chosen as the recipient of the award. They advanced to the title game with an 8-0 shutout over Kenosha St. Joseph in the semifinals before falling 8-4 to Cuba City in the championship game.

Honorable mention for the award was extended to Amherst, Arrowhead, Columbus Catholic, Cuba City, Eau Claire North, Kenosha St. Joseph, Oakfield and Regis.

Superior is the recipient of the WIAA/Rural Mutual Insurance Sportsmanship Award in softball for the first time. The Spartans have previously won the award five times, all coming in the sport of boys hockey (1996, 1997,  2008, 2014 and 2015). They shutout Cedarburg 10-0 in five innings in their Division 1 quarterfinal match-up before falling to eventual champion, Kaukauna, in five innings by the identical score of 10-0 in the semifinals.

Assumption, Baldwin-Woodville, Barneveld, Edgar, Grantsburg, Luther, Poynette, Sun Prairie, Thorp, and Wisconsin Lutheran each received honorable mention.

Assumption received positive evaluations for their team sportsmanship and positive fan support to earn the honor in girls soccer. It’s the first time the Royals have been bestowed the honor in any sport. They fell in their Division 4 semifinal match-up, 5-1, to eventual champion Lake Country Lutheran.

The schools and communities receiving honorable mention include Cedarburg, De Pere, Muskego, Waunakee and Whitefish Bay.

Eau Claire Memorial was selected as the award recipient after the Old Abes advanced to the State Team Tennis Tournament for a membership-leading 24th time. They lost their Division 1 quarterfinal match, 6-1, to eventual runner-up Neenah.  It is the third time Eau Claire Memorial has been selected for the award in boys tennis. The previous two were in 2014 and 2019. The Old Abes have won 12 Sportsmanship Awards overall. In addition to their three boys tennis honors, they were recipients of the award in boys hockey four times (1992, 2000, 2016 and 2017) girls tennis three times (1998, 2004 and 2011), once in boys basketball (1970) and once in girls soccer (2005).

The WIAA/Rural Insurance Sportsmanship Award is presented to one school program and community, or communities in the case of cooperative programs, that demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship in WIAA team tournaments. Award winners are determined by the conduct and sportsmanship displayed by athletes, coaches, cheer and support groups, mascots, bands and spectators. Additional consideration is given for the effort of school administrators and chaperones to ensure support for their teams are positive and that the highest ideals of sportsmanship are demonstrated.

The selection process includes evaluations from contest officials, tournament management, as well as, security personnel, crowd control and ushers, and WIAA staff members.