Today’s observance of National Sportsmanship Day will feature recognition of the Empire 8 as an All-American Sportsmanship Conference -- the first time an athletic conference at any level of competition has been so honored.

The Division III member conference is being honored by the Institute for International Sport along with 12 schools -- four universities, two junior colleges, three high schools and three elementary/middle schools -- that earned All-American Sportsmanship recognition.

The universities are NCAA Division I members Auburn, Bucknell, Clemson and Indiana.

The All-American Sportsmanship designation recognizes the establishment of exceptional sportsmanship programs and effective sportsmanship initiatives.

In celebration of the honor, student-athletes from each of Empire 8 institution will be visiting local elementary schools and youth groups during the spring to lead talks about “Competing with Honor and Integrity.”

“This is an incredible honor and reflective of the values and leadership of our member institutions and our fine student-athletes,” said Chuck Mitrano, Empire 8 commissioner. “We are very proud of the recognition.”

The Empire 8 has developed several sportsmanship initiatives during recent years, including a conduct foul reporting program, which collects data and compiles reports on occurrences of conduct fouls such as red and yellow cards in soccer, personal fouls in football, technical fouls in basketball and ejections in baseball. The program was adopted by the NCAA three years ago for use throughout Division III, and also is being used by several Divisions I and II institutions.

The conference also developed a game-management policy that has been shared as part of a best-practices initiative in Division III and also created an ejection policy that requires ejected student-athletes or coaches to sit out an additional contest.

The league’s membership also has developed a broad-based educational program and standards for fan behavior.

Last fall, Mitrano was named one of the 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America by the Institute for International Sport. He is a member of the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct and has been active in sportsmanship initiatives sponsored by the Division III Commissioners’ Association

The members of the Empire 8 are Alfred University, Elmira College, Hartwick College, Ithaca College, Nazareth College (New York), Rochester Institute of Technololgy, St. John Fisher College, Stevens Institute of Technology and Utica College.

National Sportsmanship Day is celebrated annually on the first Tuesday of March in more than 14,000 schools in the United States and internationally. Its purpose is to promote discussion of sportsmanship, share tips on ways to observe the day, and provide a focus for year-round sportsmanship efforts.