The Sonoma State men's and Tuskegee women's tennis teams have been honored as April's recipients of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship Award, the ITA announced today.

The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that goes to one men's and one women's team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis. The winners are selected by the ITA Ethics and Infractions Committee from nominations received from all ITA member institutions (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges). This monthly award began in 2003.

Sonoma State is coached by Steve Cunninghame and Tuskegee is coached by Ricardo Reed. Complete information on this month's winners is available on ITA website at www.ITAtennis.com.

In addition to the obvious reasons, sportsmanship and fair play are considered important in college tennis due to the fact that players make their own line calls during a match.
Tuskegee is an NCAA Division II school located in Tuskegee, Ala. Sonoma State is an NCAA Division II school located in Rohnert Park, Calif.

Sonoma State:
The Nominating Coach: "Sonoma State's entire team displayed great sportsmanship throughout our match with them. All players never questioned the calls of the umpire, and conducted themselves in the best possible way. When the score was close in the individual games, each player gave their best and no matter what the outcome was, treated the players on my team with respect."

Sonoma State Coach Steve Cunninghame: "Having our team win the April 2008 ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a great honor. We are as excited about being recognized as a team that plays the game right, as we are about the national ranking and NCAA berth we earned this year, despite having a squad with no scholarship players. In the past I have attempted to field the strongest teams possible, and in the process, made concessions to difficult personalities, that I later regretted. I guess after twenty-four seasons of college coaching, I finally got it right. We have a close knit team, that loves and supports each other.  Joaquin Lopez, our associate head coach, and a clinical psychotherapist, has led us through many useful team building exercises. As Joaquin has taught  his theory of 'self-modulation' with our group, the players have developed many valuable personal awareness skills, which have served them well on and off the court. Thank you for this honor."

Tuskegee University:
The Nominating Coach: "This team dealt with three tough matches in one weekend, including severe weather and changing courts. In all, they did it with smiles on their face and acted like women once they got on the court. I am very proud of them for what they faced this weekend, and that they came out undefeated and did it with such grace and class."

Tuskegee University President Dr. Benjamin F. Payton: "In addition to the many academic honors our student athletes receive, I am honored to see them rewarded for exceptional integrity.  This is a brilliant example of how Tuskegee student athletes excel on and off the field."