Two Stetson programs among top NCAA honorees
NCAA Recognition: Stetson Men’s Cross Country and Women’s Golf honored by NCAA
A total of nine teams from A-Sun member and affiliate institutions received perfect scores and were a part of the more than 1,000 teams who have been recognized by the NCAA with Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards, the NCAA announced Wed., Apr. 13.
Stetson’s men’s cross country and women’s golf programs were among those honored by the NCAA.
Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR). This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sport.
Teams achieving APRs in the top 10 percent of their sport earn the annual honor. This year the NCAA honors 1,071 Division I sports teams for high achievement in the classroom, including 649 women’s teams and 422 men’s or mixed squads. Additionally, schools combined the indoor and outdoor track and field teams into one team score, which slightly reduced the overall number of teams earning Public Recognition Awards.
The scores required to be in the top 10 range from 983 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport. Earning a perfect APR score were 944 teams, which included all nine of the teams honored from the A-Sun.
This also marks the fifth consecutive year that at least nine A-Sun teams have earned Public Recognition Awards based on their most recent multiyear APR.
The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2011-2012, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. The conference has totaled 133 teams receiving Public Recognition Awards since the first were awarded in 2004-05.
A total of seven A-Sun sports are represented this year including men’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, softball, women’s lacrosse, women’s tennis and volleyball. Men’s and women’s golf led the way with two teams honored from each. The nine teams hail from six institutions that include Florida Gulf Coast University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, University of North Florida, Stetson University and affiliate Old Dominion University.
A total of 45 A-Sun teams have earned the APR recognition multiple times since 2004. Cross Country has historically led the way for the A-Sun, as a total of 20 men’s and women’s teams have been honored since 2004. Every current A-Sun member has been honored at least once.
All Division I teams’ APR scores will be released April 20. All teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each term and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in every sport.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with eight member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun footprint reaches into seven of the top 50 media markets. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
