Six Elon athletics teams rank among the nation’s top 10 percent in their sports in the annual NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) report. The Elon Phoenix men’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s indoor and outdoor track and volleyball teams are among the NCAA Division I teams receiving public recognition awards for their APR scores, the NCAA announced May 17.
A total of 39 Southern Conference teams were honored in this year’s APR report.
“Our focus at Elon has always been about the student-athlete and ensuring that all of our student-athletes are working equally as hard in the classroom as they are in their arena of competition,” said Dave Blank, director of athletics. “It is very exciting to see six of our teams, up from four last year, receive special distinction for academics. This further emphasizes the commitment that our coaches, administration and our student-athletes continue to have toward strong academic performance.”
The APR provides a real-time view of a team’s academic success by tracking the progress of each student-athlete during the school year. By measuring eligibility and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.
This announcement is part of the 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 sports. Full APR scores for all Division I sports teams will be released later this spring.