Division I celebrates academic achievement

The NCAA has honored more than 1,100 Division I sports teams for top scores in the classroom.

Based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate, these teams have earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport.

APRs for all Division I teams will be released May 27. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.

The 1,124 teams publicly recognized for high achievement represent 696 women’s teams and 428 men’s or mixed squads, the highest ever in the decade since the NCAA began the Public Recognition Awards program. In 2014, 1,049 teams were recognized, marking an increase this year of 75 teams.

The scores required to be in the top ten ranged from 980 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport. This year, a record 953* teams earned public recognition with a perfect APR score.

“We congratulate each of the teams and individual student-athletes for their dedication to academic success,” said NCAA President Mark Emmert. “This achievement demonstrates their hard work and the commitment of NCAA member schools to provide students with an opportunity to succeed academically and athletically.”

While the spring championship season is still ongoing, eight NCAA national champions are already included in this year’s award list: Columbia University fencing; Duke University men’s basketball; Loyola University Chicago men’s volleyball; Stanford University women’s water polo; University of California, Los Angeles men’s water polo; University of Colorado men’s cross country; University of Connecticut women’s field hockey; and University of Virginia men’s tennis.

A total of 289 schools placed at least one team on the top APR list, up 15 from 2014.

Dartmouth College had the most teams (26) recognized, followed by Brown University (19) and Bucknell University (19) and Stanford University (19). The Ivy League saw 110 teams recognized -- the most of any conference -- followed by the Patriot League (105), Atlantic Coast Conference (82) and Big Ten Conference (74).

Dartmouth also led the schools with the highest percentage of its teams topping the APR list with 93 percent. Northwestern University (79 percent), Lafayette College (78 percent) and Gonzaga University (76 percent) also had more than three-quarters of their teams making the list.

The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport.

The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from 2010-11, 2011-2012, 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years.

Complete list of 129 teams that have earned Public Recognition Awards each of the ten years they have been awarded.