Elon's men's basketball, women's cross country, women's golf, softball and volleyball teams are among the top teams in the nation in the 2009 NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, which were announced April 22. The Elon teams rank in the top 10 percent of NCAA Division I teams in the nation in their sports.
“Having these five sports receive special recognition for academic excellence, along with having all of our sports achieve higher marks than the NCAA requirements, speaks volumes to the fact that our athletics department is totally committed to the academic experiences of our student-athletes,” said Dave Blank, director of athletics. “We continue to be proud of the fact that our student-athletes and coaches are very committed to the academic mission of Elon University.”
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. 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.
For the third consecutive year, the Phoenix women’s cross country, women’s golf and volleyball squads earned perfect scores.
Elon’s five honored teams are among the 40 programs from the Southern Conference recognized by the NCAA. Fifteen men’s programs in the SoCon earned the Public Recognition Award, while 25 women’s programs earned national honors.
SoCon NCAA Public Recognition Award by Sport:
Men’s Sports
Basketball – Davidson, Elon
Cross Country – Davidson, Furman, Wofford
Football – Davidson
Golf – Davidson, Furman
Indoor Track – Davidson, Wofford
Outdoor Track – Davidson, Furman, Wofford
Rifle – The Citadel (mixed)
Tennis – Wofford
Women’s Sports
Basketball – Furman, UNC Greensboro, Samford, Wofford
Cross Country – Davidson, Elon, Samford, Wofford
Field Hockey – Appalachian State
Golf – Elon, Samford
Indoor Track – Davidson, Furman, Samford, Wofford
Outdoor Track – The Citadel, Furman, Wofford
Rifle – The Citadel (mixed)
Soccer – Davidson, Samford
Softball – Elon
Tennis – Davidson, UNC Greensboro
Volleyball – Davidson, Elon