ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Four members of the UTSA's men's track and field program were honored with the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Sportsmanship Award on Monday.
Jonas Gutierrez, Roscoe Robinson, Ronson Small and Tyler Williamson were nominated by Texas State's Timothy Young for their actions during the 2013 WAC Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. Young nominated the quartet for their actions prior to the men's long jump finals.
The group of Roadrunners all had qualified along with Young. Before the competition began, Gutierrez, Robinson, Small and Williamson were huddled together going through pre-competition rituals. Young, the only Texas State athlete in the finals, was sitting by himself on the bench getting ready for his jumps. Williamson and his teammates noticed this and he approached Young with the offer to join their huddle. It was members of rival teams huddled together, setting differences aside to support each other prior to competition.
"I'm proud of the fact that Jonas, Roscoe, Ronson and Tyler were recognized for their actions at the WAC indoor meet," head coach Aaron Fox said. "It transcended competition, especially with an athlete from our chief rival. Sportsmanship is one of the core values we preach within our program and their actions showed it is more than just about winning."
The award annually is handed out to an individual student-athlete, group of student-athletes or team that demonstrates good sportsmanship and ethical behavior in participation in intercollegiate athletics.
In order to be eligible for the award, individuals, groups and/or teams competing in a WAC-sponsored sport must be in good academic standing at the time of award application and selection process.
The foursome now will be nominated by the league for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award.