April 22, 2009
LAS VEGAS - The NCAA released the Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR) public recognition awards Wednesday, which recognize the nation's top 10 percent in their respective sports. UNLV's men's golf, women's tennis and volleyball programs were all on the list.
All three UNLV squads recognized have turned in perfect four-year APR scores of 1000.
With three programs recognized, UNLV is tied for first in the Mountain West Conference with Air Force for having the most sports earning the public recognition awards. And among Football Bowl Subdivision schools in the region (MWC, WAC and Pac-10), only Stanford had more teams in the top 10 percent (11 total). UNLV is tied for second among that group with USC and Air force with three each.
"We are thrilled with the recognition of our sports' academic progress," said UNLV Athletics Director Mike Hamrick. "It is an indication of how our student-athletes are doing academically. For these three programs to be recognized among the top programs in the country, among our conference and in our region, it illustrates the significant improvements we have made from an academic standpoint as well as the direction we are heading. I am proud of the emphasis our student-athletes and coaches are putting on their academics and we look forward to the full APR announcement by the NCAA later this spring."
The NCAA is honoring Division I sports teams with public recognition awards for their latest multi-year APR scores. These teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The most recent APR scores are multi-year rates based on the scores from the 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years. The public recognition awards are part of the overall Division I academic reform effort.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester 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. A score of 1000 means that the institution has met the goals of retention and satisfactory degree progress for 100 percent of each of its student-athletes in a given time period. A score of 900 equates to 90 percent, 800 equals 80 percent, and so forth.
Multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition awards, will be announced May 6. The announcement also will include immediate and historical penalties for low-performing teams.
Wednesday's full NCAA release may be found at the NCAA website and by clicking here.
