BOONE, N.C. — The NCAA's release of its Public Recognition Awards on Wednesday included four Appalachian State teams that posted multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent of their respective sports.
The women's golf, men's cross country, women's soccer and women's tennis programs at App State each received a Public Recognition Award. The most recent multiyear APRs are based on scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years.
Appalachian State's total of four awards this year ranks No. 2 in the 12-member Sun Belt Conference behind only the five awards for South Alabama, and five Sun Belt schools tied for third place with two awards apiece.
Women's golf earned a Public Recognition Award for the sixth straight year, while it was the third straight year with a Public Recognition Award for women's tennis and women's soccer, which is being honored for the fourth time in the last five years. Men's cross country also received a Public Recognition Award in 2012.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. In providing a measure of each team's academic performance, the APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation.
Multiyear APRs for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition, will be announced May 8.
"Congratulations to the programs earning Public Recognition Awards for their commitment to academic success," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a release. "The number of perfect scores this year is an indication that schools and student-athletes are setting high bars for achievement, and we are proud that they are continuing to succeed academically as well as athletically."
