The NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct announced the 2006 NCAA National Sportsmanship Award winners.
Mike Rose of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and Sarah Dawn Schettle of the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, were chosen as national award winners from a pool of six finalists – three male and three female – representing all three divisions. More than 40 conferences submitted nominations for the award.
Anna Key, University of California, Berkeley, and Parker Dalton, Texas A&M University, were the Division I winners. Representing Division II with Rose was Rae Ann Sherred of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Schettle and Middlebury College’s Nathan Edmunds were the Division III winners.
As a freshman competing at the 2006 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference outdoor track championships, Rose, a decathlete, was miscredited with a throw of 51.34 meters in the javelin. At the time, he was battling another student-athlete for seventh place, and Slippery Rock had a chance to capture the men’s team title. The seventh-place finish was worth two critical points in the team standings. Even though accepting the incorrect mark would have increased his chance at a higher overall finish and boosted his team’s conference title hopes, with the help of his coach, Rose alerted officials to the mistake. Though meet officials initially refused to change the mark, eventually, they agreed to eliminate Rose’s first attempt and allow an extra throw. However, because he was injured, rather than take the additional throw, Rose accepted credit only for his last two throws. The decision resulted in an eighth place finish for Rose and only a single team point for Slippery Rock.
A dual sport student-athlete in track and field and swimming, Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Schettle clearly and consistently demonstrates good sportsmanship. At the track, she cheers for every student-athlete in every event, and during warmups, Schettle will help other athletes practice their starts and assists in setting up hurdles. Beyond the exchanging the traditional handshake, Schettle goes beyond to call out encouraging words and offer hugs and congratulations to competitors. At swimming meets, she clears each student-athlete’s block in addition to her own to ensure that everyone has a fair start. As part of her community outreach efforts, she co-founded an online mentoring program to connect current Wisconsin-Oshkosh students with alumni based on majors and career interests. She also has assisted with blood drives, helped with vision screenings for preschool-aged children and knitted and crocheted hats for newborn babies.
In addition to receiving a plaque, Rose and Schettle will be honored next spring at the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance national sportsmanship banquet.
