May 19, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS – A school-record five UNCG athletic programs were honored by the NCAA with Academic Progress Report (APR) Public Recognition Awards, the association announced Tuesday.

The Spartans’ women’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s indoor track, women’s indoor track and women’s outdoor track teams were among the 909 teams to earn Public Recognition Awards, based on their most recent multi-year APRs. The award is given annually to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.

“It's always rewarding to be recognized for academic success,” UNCG Director of Athletics Kim Record said. “This is a goal each of our sports strives for.”

This year’s top-performing teams posted APR scores ranging from 977 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on the number of perfect scores. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.

Women’s basketball took the honor for the sixth straight year. The track and cross country programs earned the honor for the first time each. The five programs honored bested the school record of four from 2004-05.

In the six years of the NCAA’s academic reform program, 1,992 different teams have received Public Recognition Awards, representing 31 percent of eligible sports teams during that time. Of that total, 260 teams have received Public Recognition Awards each of the six years of the program, including UNCG’s women’s basketball squad.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

The 909 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement represent 14 percent of the 6,385 eligible Division I teams. The list includes 525 women’s teams and 384 men’s or mixed squads. Last year, 841 teams were recognized.

Inside the Southern Conference, nine of the 12 member schools had at least one team receive a Public Recognition Award. A total of 43 Southern Conference teams received Public Recognition Awards, marking the fourth straight year the conference has seen an increase in the number of teams recognized. There were 30 women's teams and 13 men's teams honored in the league.

The NCAA's full release of APR data for all of the Division I teams will take place May 24.

- UNCG -