EAST LANSING – The recipients of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Good Sports Are Winners! Awards for the winter sports season have been selected, a group of 307 teams representing nearly 250 schools which are being honored for displaying outstanding sportsmanship during selected postseason tournament competitions.

The Niles wrestling team earned the award at the district level, while Edwardsburg received the honor at the regional level.

Teams receive awards ranging from framed certificates to commemorative banners and crystal trophies from the MEEMIC Insurance Co., the Association’s corporate partner in sportsmanship efforts.

The program is conducted in team sports, with schools being evaluated by tournament management at district, regional and final round sites. This winter, a total of 247 different schools were selected in tournaments conducted in girls and boys basketball, girls competitive cheer, ice hockey and team dual wrestling.

The program recognizes one school at each MHSAA tournament center at all levels of play for having met the highest sportsmanlike standards. Those schools will be presented framed certificates from MEEMIC. Those teams will also be recognized through the publication of their names in the MHSAA bulletin, the MHSAA finals program series, and on the MHSAA Web site.

During the course of the school year, over 500 teams will be recognized in 13 activities for their sportsmanship efforts during MHSAA tournaments. At the finals in those tournaments, the school judged to have met those standards is presented a crystal trophy and commemorative banner.

Kingsford in girls basketball (Class B), Suttons Bay in boys basketball (Class C), Hudsonville in girls competitive cheer (Division 1), Chelsea in ice hockey (Division 3), and Richmond in team dual wrestling (Division 3) were selected by the tournament management at their respective finals for displaying the exemplary sportsmanship by their coaches, student-athletes and spectators. Presentation dates at each winning school will be announced at a future date.

Kingsford was a semifinalist in the Class B girls basketball tournament; Suttons Bay was a finalist in boys basketball; Hudsonville placed third in cheer; Chelsea was a semifinalist on the ice; and Richmond was a title winner on the mat.

Three of the five schools have previously own the Good Sports Are Winners! Sportsmanship Awards at the finals level of different MHSAA tournaments. Hudsonville won the honor at the 2007 softball finals; Chelsea was chosen at the 2003 softball finals; and Suttons Bay was presented the award for the 2001 girls volleyball finals.

Each school also was recognized with an additional honor prior to the Finals level – Chelsea in team wrestling districts, Hudsonville in ice hockey regionals, Kingsford in girls basketball regionals, Richmond in girls basketball districts, and Suttons Bay in boys basketball regionals.

Grand Rapids Northview was recognized in the winter at four tournaments, and Detroit Country Day, Hartland, Marion, Otsego, Port Huron Northern, Shepherd, Taylor Truman and Utica Eisenhower each won sportsmanship awards.

Fourth-three other schools received mention twice: Allendale; Bath; Battle Creek Calhoun Christian; Blissfield; Bronson; Byron; Byron Center; Covert; Crystal Falls Forest Park; Dearborn Edsel Ford; Detroit Communication Media Arts; Durand; Flushing; Gladstone; Gobles; Grand Haven; Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central; Hastings; Holly; Holt; Jackson Lumen Christi; Leroy Pine River; Livonia Franklin; Manchester; Mason; Mattawan; Midland Bullock Creek; Mt Pleasant Sacred Heart; Northville; Olivet; Onaway; Pewamo-Westphalia; Port Hope; Riverview Gabriel Richard; Rockford; Saginaw Nouvel; St Joseph; St Louis; Sterling Heights Stevenson; Temperance Bedford; Warren Cousino; Wayland Union; and Wyoming Godwin Heights.

Girls basketball led the way with 101 teams honored; followed by 89 teams in boys basketball; 85 in team dual wrestling; 18 in girls competitive cheer; and 14 in ice hockey.