May 17, 2011
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Nine Northwestern varsity programs received Public Recognition Awards today (May 11) as part of the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) program.
The nine NU athletic programs were honored for being in the top-10 percent of their respective sports in the latest multi-year APR scores. The total is the second highest in school history behind the 10 awards earned in 2010. Northwestern led the Big Ten for the second-straight season with 47 percent of its programs being honored while Penn State was second with 31 percent (each had nine total).
Wildcat teams honored for being in the top 10 percent are: men's basketball, football, men's soccer, men's tennis, wrestling, softball, womens golf, women's swimming and volleyball. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
"Every one of our student-athletes in all 19 of our programs represent what being a true student-athlete is all about," Northwestern Director of Athletics and Recreation Jim Phillips said. "The fact that nearly half of our athletic programs earned this national recognition makes us exceptionally proud and demonstrates that Northwestern is a leader in the classroom among our peers."
Northwestern was one of three schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision to have both its football and men's basketball programs earn public recognition awards, joining Duke and Navy. For NU, 2011 also is the second-straight year that both of those programs have earned APR Public Recognition honors. This year marks the first time the NCAA has separated football into FBS and FCS divisions for this award.
The APR provides a real-time view of a team's academic success by tracking the progress of each student-athlete during the school year. By measuring eligibility and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. An APR score of 925 is the minimum level of academic success; teams scoring below 925 can lose scholarships and face other sanctions over time, including bans on postseason play.
The full APR release with data for every team in the NCAA will be released Tuesday, May 24. For the complete NCAA release on its APR Public Recognition Awards, link to NCAA.org.
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