Five Phoenix programs recognized for APR excellence

Five Elon athletics teams are recognized in the latest NCAA academic progress report.

Elon’s men’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, men’s soccer and volleyball teams are among the NCAA Division I teams receiving public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, the NCAA announced Thursday. The NCAA recognized 954 teams with the NCAA Public Recognition Award, an award given annually to those teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.

Elon was one of just three Southern Conference members to have at least five of its programs recognized.

“Our focus at Elon has always been about ensuring that all of our student-athletes are working equally as hard in the classroom as they are on the playing field,” commented Director of Athletics Dave Blank. “It is very exciting to see five of our teams receive this hard-earned special distinction for academics. This achievement continues to demonstrate the commitment our coaches, administration and our student-athletes have towards 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 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years.

Full APR scores for all Division I sports teams were released by the NCAA on June 20. Access the full data at: http://web1.ncaa.org/maps/am1tbw1c3kaprRelease.jsp