The annual NCAA Public Recognition Awards are based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) by student athletes.
Six Elon teams have been recognized by the NCAA for being in the top 10 percent of their sports in Academic Progress Rate (APR). The Elon teams are among 47 in the Colonial Athletic Association recognized as recipients of the annual NCAA Public Recognition Award, which is based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate.
Elon teams earning recognition included men’s and women’s basketball, men’s cross country, football, women’s lacrosse and volleyball. Five of the six programs earned perfect scores of 1,000 and the men’s basketball program earned its 12th-straight perfect score. Additionally, men’s cross country achieved Top-10 recognition for the sixth-straight year, women’s basketball the fifth-straight year and women’s lacrosse the fourth-straight year. For the past nine years, Elon has had at least five teams earning APR recognition.
“Year after year, we are very proud of the accomplishments our student-athletes are able to achieve athletically and also in our classrooms,” said Elon Director of Athletics Dave Blank. “Our student-athletes, coaches and administration are committed to strong academic performance and our APR progress is a great benchmark that consistently demonstrates that commitment.”
Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR). The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance. Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport. The awards were compiled using the academic and retention rates for the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years.
“I would like to congratulate the 47 CAA teams that received the NCAA’s prestigious Public Recognition Award,” CAA Commissioner Joe D’Antonio said. “It is yet another example of the tremendous work and countless hours that CAA student-athletes devote to the classroom. We appreciate the commitment that our student-athletes, coaches and staff members have towards achieving at the highest level in their athletic and academic pursuits.”
William & Mary led the CAA with eight teams receiving Public Recognition Awards. Along with Elon, other schools placing six teams with academic honors were Hofstra and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Five teams each from Drexel and Northeastern earned Public Recognition Awards.
There were 1,328 Division I teams honored by the NCAA for earning Public Recognition Awards. The scores required to be in the top 10 ranged from 987 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport, with the majority of top 10 teams earning a perfect APR.
CAA TEAMS RECEIVING NCAA PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARDS BY SPORT:
Baseball: Northeastern
Men’s Basketball: Elon, Hofstra
Women’s Basketball: Elon, Northeastern
Men’s Cross Country: Elon, UNCW, Northeastern, William & Mary
Women’s Cross Country: Hofstra, UNCW, Towson
Field Hockey: Hofstra
Football: Elon, Villanova
Men’s Golf: Drexel, Hofstra, William & Mary
Women’s Golf: Charleston, UNCW, William & Mary
Women’s Lacrosse: Drexel, Elon, James Madison
Women’s Rowing: Drexel, Villanova
Women’s Soccer: Charleston, Northeastern, William & Mary
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Drexel, William & Mary
Women’s Swimming and Diving: UNCW, William & Mary
Women’s Tennis: Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra, James Madison, UNCW, Towson, William & Mary
Men’s Track and Field: Northeastern, William & Mary
Volleyball: Delaware, Elon, Hofstra, James Madison, UNCW