University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Four Bulldog Programs Headline Big South APR Scores
05.20.2015 | Baseball, Cross Country, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis, Track and Field, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Big South Conference had a League-record 19 athletic programs among those honored Wednesday by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards for their latest Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores -- four more than the previous high and the seventh overall double-figure total in the 10 years of the NCAA's academic reform program. These awards are given each year to teams with APRs in the top 10 percent in each sport and the results are based on the 2013-14 academic year.
UNC Asheville led the conference with four Bulldog teams receiving recognition – men's and women's tennis, women's basketball and women's outdoor track & field programs. It is the third consecutive year that the Bulldogs have finished with the most recipients in the Big South.
Nine of the Conference's 11 full-time member institutions were honored, with UNC Asheville leading the way with four, followed by High Point University and Liberty University with three each.
Of the Big South's 19 sponsored sports, 11 received recognition -- the second-most sports honored in League history. Men's tennis (Campbell University, Presbyterian College, UNC Asheville) and women's golf (Campbell, Coastal Carolina University, Gardner-Webb University) led the Big South with three programs honored, followed by two each for women's basketball, women's cross country, women's tennis and women's outdoor track & field. Women's golf has led or co-led the Big South in Public Recognition Awards for the past eight seasons.
The Big South's remaining institutional honorees are Charleston Southern University (women's tennis) and Longwood University (women's cross country).
Big South men's cross country was honored for the first time since 2008, while women's basketball was recognized for the first time since 2009. The three Big South men's tennis recipients are the most in that sport. High Point owns the League's longest APR Public Recognition Award streak at seven years, while Presbyterian College has most awards among the Big South membership with 18.
Each year, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I team through the annual scorecard of academic achievement, known as APR. The score honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR (the most recent APRs are based on scores from the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years). This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams who demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. By measuring eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of academic performance in each sport.
Multiyear APRs for all Division I sports teams will be announced on May 27.
