Seldom seen on or off the basketball court without her trademark smile, former Ignacio High School standout guard Avionne Gomez was saluted in late March by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference as one of 34 total student-athletes named to its 12th Annual Winter All-Sportsmanship Teams.

According to information provided by the Lawrenceville, Ga.-based, NCAA Div. III circuit, each head coach – in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s swimming/diving, women’s swimming/diving – was to elect one member from his or her respective squad whose ‘good sportsmanship’ and ‘positive on-court attitude and demeanor’ was prominent, start to finish, during the 2019-20 campaign.

Grinning through even a trying 4-21 (4-14 SCAC) season, and establishing herself in Denver-based Johnson & Wales University’s starting lineup, Gomez was selected by JWU head coach Bob Kintzel to cop the award.  Earning even more playing time as a true sophomore than she’d already received in ’18-19, Gomez was a first-five inclusion for all 25 of the Wildcats’ games, and averaged 7.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per.

All told, ten different players – including two First Team All-SCAC performers – comprised the All-Sportsmanship Women’s Basketball Team, while the SCAC 2019-20 Winter Women’s Basketball Team Sportsmanship Award went to Colorado College (which also earned the award in men’s basketball).

The awards were voted on by each member institution’s coach and/or SCAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative, with each individual sport group ranking its top three teams.  Points (five for a first-place vote, three for a second-place nod and one for a third-place) were then totaled to select the overall winner.

The SAAC instituted the award prior to the 2016-17 academic year to help honor the team best portraying good sportsmanship and fair play – regarding both players and coaches – during the season.