GRAND FORKS, N.D. – For the third consecutive year, the University of North Dakota led the Big Sky Conference by having four teams receive NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR).
This year's quartet of Fighting Hawk squads that were recognized in early May for the 2015-16 academic year; included men's cross country, women's cross country, men's tennis, and women's tennis. UND has now earned similar recognition 17 times across eight different sports since 2010.
The Public Recognition Awards are given each year to teams with APRs that rank among the top 10-percent nationally in their respective sport. 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 the 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years.
“Once again, we are very proud of the accomplishments by our student-athletes in the classroom,” said Amanda Hajdu, UND's Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Services. “This recognition is a credit to our staff, coaches and student-athletes, who continually make academic performance a high priority here at the University of North Dakota.”
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 they also can face penalties for continued low academic performance.
The public recognition is part of the NCAA's 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.
The scores required to be in the top 10 ranged from 984 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport. 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.
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