Major Athletes Rewarded for Sportsmanship

by Megan Murray

sports editor

As the fall semester comes to a close, it also marks the end of the 2015 season for fall Millsaps athletic teams. The Southern Athletic Association recently released the 2015 Fall All-Sportsmanship Teams and Millsaps student-athletes were represented in every sport. The conference selected six Majors athletes for their sportsmanship on and off the field. Those athletes include Nico Roth, Katie Sands, Michael Sullivan, Emma Hurstell, Mary Allison Wilson and Javis Aultman.

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photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information

Roth, a senior from Alzenau, Germany, plays forward for the men’s soccer team. He led the team in all offensive categories in his senior campaign, tallying 15 goals, 14 assists, 62 shots, and 44 total points. Roth also recorded four game-winning goals. He helped lead the Majors to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, and was named to the All-Conference First Team and selected as the SAA Player of the Year. Roth was also named to the NSCAA NCAA Division III All-American Second Team.

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photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information

Senior defender for the women’s soccer team, Sands hails from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She started in 18 games in her fourth and final season for the Majors. She also scored a goal in the team’s first conference win in three years. Sands says, “This award is special to me for a particular reason. In collegiate sports, the majority of athletes are awarded or recognized solely for their physical skills. This makes sense given that to an outsider, it is the most obvious measure of a person’s skill. However, talent is not the only element of athletics and often overshadows its component, sportsmanship.”

She adds, “As an upperclassmen, it is important to understand how your teammates respond best, learn from that, and always have it in consideration on and off the field in order to get the best results.”

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photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information

Sullivan is a sophomore member of the Majors cross country team from St. Francisville, Louisiana. His performances throughout the season helped send the Majors to the Division III Championship. In the 8K race at the championship, Sullivan finished with a time of 29:52.5 and averaged 6:00.9 per mile.

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photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information

Hurstell is also a member of the Millsaps cross country team. She is a freshman from Mandeville, Louisiana and she made a name for herself during her first season. She earned her spot in the championship race in Virginia with solid races throughout the season. She ended the season with a 6k race in which she had an overall time of 29:15.8 and a 7:50 average mile. Hurstell says, “What’s unique about the All Sportsmanship Award is that it recognizes something in athletics beyond physical ability or talent. In my opinion, it reflects the fact that being a good teammate requires a lot more than being good at the sport. Attitude can be a just as important key to success [as talent].”

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photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information

Sophomore Mary Allison Wilson is a setter and defensive specialist from Covington, Louisiana. She played in 28 matches for the Majors volleyball team, while leading the team in assists with 543 and assists per set with 5.54.

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photo courtesy of Millsaps Sports Information

Javis Aultman, a senior defensive back, received the honor for football. He hails from Harvey, Louisiana. Aultman helped lead the charge for the Majors’ defense playing in all 10 games. He was fourth in tackles with 58 total and he also recorded a sack and fumble recovery in his senior campaign. “It was an honor to be selected by the conference as a member of the all-sportsmanship team. I am extremely blessed to receive such an honor,” Aultman says. “Some aspects of sportsmanship I brought to my team and the sport as a whole were good leadership on and off the field, a relentless dedication no matter how the season was turning out as far as wins/loses, and a infections energy that helped motivate my teammates.”

With the SAA dedicated to recognizing sportsmanship, six Majors displayed the attributes necessary to achieve the honor.