Pablo Herrera and Marissa Roggensack have been selected as the University of Illinois Springfield's male and female recipients of the 2025-26 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award.

Herrera, a senior on the UIS men's tennis team, and Roggensack, a junior on the women's cross country and track & field teams, were selected after demonstrating outstanding sportsmanship throughout the 2025-26 academic year. Each GLVC member institution annually recognizes one male and one female student-athlete who exemplify the ideals of sportsmanship through ethical behavior, respect for opponents, and integrity in competition. The institution's male and female recipients are selected from the student-athletes recognized as their team's sportsmanship honoree at the end of each season. 

In addition to the individual honors, the UIS women's cross country team earned the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award, which was announced at the conclusion of the fall season. The award recognizes one team in each conference-sponsored sport that best demonstrates the principles of sportsmanship.

The GLVC renamed its annual sportsmanship award in 2016 after Spalding, who is referenced as one of the league's two "Founding Fathers" and for his longtime service at Bellarmine. Spalding played a prominent role in both the formation of the GLVC and the sponsorship expansion of women's athletics within the league. Long revered as one of the league's pioneers, Spalding was inducted as a charter member of the GLVC Hall of Fame in 2001. 

GLVC Release