Team Sportsmanship Award

An annual sportsmanship award is given at the State Girls and Boys Tennis Tournaments. The award is given to the team that best displays exemplary sportsmanship. The purpose of the award is to promote integrity and sportsmanship in the game of tennis. The award will be given to the team which, through actions both on and off the court, has demonstrated fairness, respect, honesty, unselfishness, and responsibility.

A former high school and collegiate tennis champion once said that she didn’t remember all the players she had played during her career, but she always remembered the players who played with class and the players who didn’t. In years to come, we may not remember who won the state championship, but we will always remember the team that showed the best sportsmanship.

The team chosen by the coaches and umpires to receive the very first sportsmanship award was the Madison High School boys tennis team. There is no pre-tournament application form. This award is voted on by the tennis coaches and umpires at the tournament and is presented during the awards ceremony.

Previous Girls Winners

2007Sturgis Brown
2008Todd County
2009Watertown
2010Brandon Valley
2011Yankton
2012Aberdeen Roncalli
2013Aberdeen Central
2014Milbank
2015Huron
2016Pierre T.F. Riggs
2017Yankton
2018Rapid City Christian
2019Rapid City Stevens (AA), Pierre. T.F. Riggs (A)
2020Sioux Falls Washington (AA), Huron (A)
2021Watertown (AA), Milbank (A)
2022Aberdeen Central (AA), Spearfish (A)
2023Yankton (AA), Rapid City Christian (A)
2024 

Previous Boys Winners

2007Madison
2008Sioux Falls Washington
2009Sioux Falls Washington
2010Milbank
2011Mitchell
2012Rapid City Stevens
2013Mitchell
2014Madison
2015Aberdeen Central
2016Watertown
2017Rapid City Christian
2018Huron
2019Pierre T.F. Riggs
2020Tournament Canceled (COVID-19)
2021Sioux Falls Washington (AA), Huron (A)
2022Aberdeen Central (AA), Huron (A)
2023SF Washington (AA), Huron (A)
2024Aberdeen Central (AA), Huron (A)
2025