UF'S YADLOCZKY NAMED 2008 SEC SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD RECIPIENT
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 | Women's Golf
University of Florida golfer Jessica Yadloczky and University of Tennessee basketball player Chris Lofton and have been named recipients of the inaugural Southeastern Conference Sportsmanship Award, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive announced Tuesday. The winners will be forwarded for nomination to the NCAA for its national sportsmanship awards, to be announced in July.
The two were chosen in a vote of the SEC Directors of Athletics.
"The issue of sportsmanship is one of the core values of athletics," said Slive. "Student-athletes can learn life's lessons by participating in sports in a manner that classroom teaching cannot accomplish. Sportsmanship is one of those lessons. I congratulate Chris and Jessica for championing the cause of sportsmanship this year and earning this prestigious honor."
Yadloczky, a freshman from Casselberry, Fla., finished fifth in the SEC with her season average of 74.00 strokes per round. She helped lead the Gators to the SEC title and to a ninth-place finish in the NCAA Golf Championships this season.
Yadloczky's best finish during her freshman campaign was a tie for second at the Northrup/Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif. On the last green, during the second round, she saw that her ball had moved after she addressed it. She did not realize she needed to replace the ball to avoid further penalty and then putted out.
Immediately after the round, Yadloczky reported the situation to Coach Jill Briles-Hinton, but now, because she did not replace the ball before she putted out, the penalty was now two strokes. She ended up finishing second in the tournament by just one stroke.
Because of her sportsmanship, she has brought honor to herself, to her school and to her sport.
“Golf is by nature a game of honor,” said Briles-Hinton. “The players are responsible for reporting any infractions and imposing their own penalties. No one saw the ball move on the green other than Jessica. She gained no competitive advantage, but she knew that she had made a mistake and she rectified the error knowing that she may have put herself in position not to win. She is a great young lady, and always wants to do things the right way.”
Lofton, a senior from Maysville, Ky., played the entire 2007-08 basketball season with cancer without letting anyone know, even teammates. The cancer was detected after the Vols' NCAA tournament game against Long Beach State on March 16, 2007. He underwent treatments in April and May of 2007.
Other male nominees for the 2008 SEC Sportsmanship Award were: Ben Tschepikow, baseball, Arkansas; Jay Moseley, golf, Auburn; James Smith, football, Florida; Jacob Tamme, football, Kentucky; and the University of South Carolina baseball team.
Other female nominees for the 2008 SEC Sportsmanship Award were: Alison Harter, soccer, Arkansas; Adrienne Mills, gymnastics, Auburn; and Sara Pollock, soccer, LSU.
The two were chosen in a vote of the SEC Directors of Athletics.
"The issue of sportsmanship is one of the core values of athletics," said Slive. "Student-athletes can learn life's lessons by participating in sports in a manner that classroom teaching cannot accomplish. Sportsmanship is one of those lessons. I congratulate Chris and Jessica for championing the cause of sportsmanship this year and earning this prestigious honor."
Yadloczky, a freshman from Casselberry, Fla., finished fifth in the SEC with her season average of 74.00 strokes per round. She helped lead the Gators to the SEC title and to a ninth-place finish in the NCAA Golf Championships this season.
Yadloczky's best finish during her freshman campaign was a tie for second at the Northrup/Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif. On the last green, during the second round, she saw that her ball had moved after she addressed it. She did not realize she needed to replace the ball to avoid further penalty and then putted out.
Immediately after the round, Yadloczky reported the situation to Coach Jill Briles-Hinton, but now, because she did not replace the ball before she putted out, the penalty was now two strokes. She ended up finishing second in the tournament by just one stroke.
Because of her sportsmanship, she has brought honor to herself, to her school and to her sport.
“Golf is by nature a game of honor,” said Briles-Hinton. “The players are responsible for reporting any infractions and imposing their own penalties. No one saw the ball move on the green other than Jessica. She gained no competitive advantage, but she knew that she had made a mistake and she rectified the error knowing that she may have put herself in position not to win. She is a great young lady, and always wants to do things the right way.”
Lofton, a senior from Maysville, Ky., played the entire 2007-08 basketball season with cancer without letting anyone know, even teammates. The cancer was detected after the Vols' NCAA tournament game against Long Beach State on March 16, 2007. He underwent treatments in April and May of 2007.
Other male nominees for the 2008 SEC Sportsmanship Award were: Ben Tschepikow, baseball, Arkansas; Jay Moseley, golf, Auburn; James Smith, football, Florida; Jacob Tamme, football, Kentucky; and the University of South Carolina baseball team.
Other female nominees for the 2008 SEC Sportsmanship Award were: Alison Harter, soccer, Arkansas; Adrienne Mills, gymnastics, Auburn; and Sara Pollock, soccer, LSU.
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