Women's tennis senior Grace Powderly is SEMO’s first recipient of the Ohio Valley Conference Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award.
The Steve Hamilton Sportsmanship Award is given annually to an OVC student-athlete of junior or senior standing who best exemplifies the characteristics of the late Morehead State student-athlete, coach and administrator Steve Hamilton. Criteria include significant athletics performances along with good sportsmanship and citizenship.
Powderly received her award during the annual OVC Honors Brunch on Friday, June 3 in Nashville.
A native of Cape Girardeau, Powderly recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, biomedical sciences option, with minors in chemistry and biological and medical sciences entrepreneurship. She is the President of SEMO’s chapter of Global Brigades, an international student-led non-profit that empowers underprivileged communities by providing global health and holistic development, and she helped lead two trips to Panama for medical brigades.
Powderly maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA and volunteers weekly with the SoutheastHEALTH Cancer Center. In the fall, she will attend A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri.
On the court, Powderly was captain of the women's tennis team. She was part of the Redhawks first-ever OVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022, and SEMO's first OVC regular-season crown during the 2021 campaign.
Powderly was a finalist for SEMO's Woman of the Year Award during Homecoming and claimed the SEMO Director of Athletics Leadership Award. She serves as treasurer on the Redhawks Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), as well.
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