Due West, S.C. – Erskine’s Men’s Soccer Team has been selected as the 2012-13 Conference Carolinas Sportsmanship Award Winner for their efforts in raising funds for Evan Coleman’s medical expenses according to a recent announcement by the conference office.

Nominations are solicited from the member institutions with the award winner selected by the conference’s Women’s Senior Administrators.

When Warren Turner, Erskine’s Head Men’s Soccer Coach, learned of Evan Coleman’s battle with cancer­, he knew his team had to help. Evan, the son of Mount Olive’s Assistant Soccer Coach Paul Coleman, fought the disease for more than a year before passing away in August of 2012. Turner’s heart wept not only for Evan’s courageous fight, but also for Paul, his family, and the financial sacrifices they had made to try to heal their son.  Turner knew that on an assistant coach’s salary, the family would be hard-pressed to cover the medical costs, even after insurance.

Two weeks before their game against Mount Olive, Coach Turner shared Evan’s story with his team, his emotions on just the thought of losing his son, and the grim reminder of the debt associated with that fight. For the team, it was Evan’s toughness and passion for the game that struck a chord. The team then decided to donate the funds raised through concessions and donations from the next two upcoming home games to give to Coach Coleman to help defray the medical costs associated with Evan’s care. The Flying Fleet raised $500 to give to the Coleman family.

Outside of the publicity needed to raise the funds, the team never set out to gain exposure for their efforts. When the two teams later met, Coach Turner simply handed Coach Gottfried, Mount Olive’s Head Coach, a check to give to Paul.  There was no posing for pictures or media announcements.  For Coach Turner, it was a small effort to help a hurting dad, and for the team, it was just paying tribute to a fellow “baller.”

As the conference’s sportsmanship winner, the Flying Fleet are nominated for the NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship award. The NCAA Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award honors student-athletes who, through their actions in the competitive arena of intercollegiate athletics, have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility.

Divisional and national award winning selections are made by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct and will be released later this summer. This national award was first presented in 1999 as the Outstanding Sports Persons of the Year Award and has since been renamed the Student-Athlete Sportsmanship Award.