STANDISH, ME – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has announced that the Saint Joseph's College women's cross country program has captured the Team Sportsmanship Award.

Voted on by GNAC head coaches, the Team Sportsmanship Award is given annually to the program that best exemplifies the tenets of sportsmanship in all 16 of the sports sponsored by the conference. Sportsmanship, along with community and integrity, is one of the three major focal points of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.

The honor caps another outstanding season for the SJC women's cross country team, which placed as the runner-up in the GNAC Championship earlier this month.

"This is among the most important awards that any of my teams have received during my many years as a cross country coach," adds Head Coach Ray Putnam. "These women worked extremely hard this fall and earned many accolades as a result, but to gain the respect of our peers by receiving the Team Sportsmanship Award tops them all. I am very proud of the way these athletes present themselves on and off campus and know they all are very deserving of this honor."

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.