USF’s Kigar, Men’s Cross Country & Baseball Teams Win Sportsmanship Awards

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The inaugural 2010-2011 West Coast Conference Institutional and Individual Sportsmanship award winners were announced at the second annual WCC Honors Dinner at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco.

San Francisco cross country junior Hillary Kigar was recognized for her superior sportsmanship as the Female Individual winner. The Dons' baseball and men's cross country teams were named team sportsmanship winners for their respective sports.

"We are very proud of Hilary for winning the female WCC sportsmanship award," said USF athletic director Scott Sidwell. "Her accomplishments combined with our team awards are representative of the high quality and character of our student-athletes here at USF."

Gonzaga University took home the institutional award and the Bulldogs' redshirt senior catcher Cameron Edman was named the Male Individual Sportsmanship Award winner.

The WCC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) voted on all sportsmanship award nominees to determine the winners. Candidates must have demonstrated the values of respect, honesty and integrity through a specific action directed toward an opponent and also in his/her daily participation in intercollegiate athletics during the 2010-11 academic year. 

When nominating Kigar, the Dons' SAAC said the following, "Her work ethic is an example to all as she is diligent and consistent. Regardless of the outcome, Hillary remains supportive and optimistic about everything. As a captain, she is considered a role model and one that her teammates and coaches look to for advice when needed."

"It's really cool and a big honor to be the inaugural winner of the award," Kigar said. "Winning the award came as a total surprise to me. It was so challenging for me to be injured this fall that I knew I needed to be there with my teammates to support them and in turn keep me focused. The girls on the team are my best friends so I knew not being around them every day was going to be the hardest part of the injury."

Recognizing good sportsmanship around the WCC was part of the conference-wide "Represent" campaign, which was launched in the fall of the 2010-11 school year. It included each WCC institution committing to hosting "Represent" events in which student-athletes would wear their official "Represent" T-shirts and wristbands in an effort to promote good sportsmanship and to challenge WCC student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans to proudly represent the West Coast Conference, their school, their team and themselves. 

Student-Athlete Award Winners
Male: Cameron Edman, Gonzaga University Baseball
Female: Hillary Kigar, University of San Francisco Cross Country

Fall Team Sportsmanship Winners
Men's Cross Country: University of San Francisco
Women's Cross Country: University of San Diego
Men's Soccer: Gonzaga University
Women's Soccer: University of Portland
Women's Volleyball: Santa Clara University 

Winter Team Sportsmanship Winners
Men's Basketball: Gonzaga University
Women's Basketball: Gonzaga University