Six Teams Earn NCAA Public Recognition Awards

Six Hawks programs have been recognized by the NCAA for earning Division I Public Recognition Awards, representing the latest multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR). Public Recognition Awards honor teams in the top 10 percent of all programs in each sport.

The men's indoor and outdoor track and field teams led the way for the Hawks, earning a Public Recognition Award for the third straight year. The volleyball team received the distinction for the second straight season while men's cross country, men's tennis and men's basketball were all recognized for the first time.

A total of 954 teams were honored by the NCAA, of which 31 represented the America East Conference. Among the league's 31 honorees, the Hartford volleyball team was the only conference representative in that sport. Of the 954 total team honors, 560 represented women's teams and 394 men's or mixed squads. The Hawks six teams being honored was second most among the nine league institutions, with Boston University leading the way with 11 teams receiving accolades.

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 measures eligibility and retention each semester or quarter and 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.

In seven years of the NCAA's academic reform program, 2,946 different teams have received Public Recognition Awards, representing 46 percent of eligible teams during that time. Of that total, 209 teams have received Public Recognition Awards each of the seven years of the program.