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April 24, 2009
Five Samford Teams Receive NCAA Awards
Five Samford University teams have received public recognition awards from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA released its public recognition awards April 22 for the teams achieving the highest level of academic performance in Division I.
Samford teams that received the public recognition awards are women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s golf, women’s indoor track and field and women’s soccer. This marks the second consecutive year five Samford teams have earned public recognition awards.
These teams posted multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent of all squads nationally in their respective sports. The public recognition awards are part of a broad Division I academic reform effort, according to Peter Neuberger, Samford’s senior associate director of athletics.
“This latest recognition reflects the athletic department’s consistent commitment to the enhancement of the profile of our student-athletes and the support they are provided by the Samford University administration, faculty and coaching staffs,” Neuberger said. “This academic responsibility fits in nicely with our new Southern Conference peer institutions.
Samford’s five teams ranks first among Division 1 schools in the state of Alabama and tied for fourth among Southern Conference member-schools. In the state, the University of Alabama and Alabama A&M University each had one team earn the award. Eight Southern Conference schools earned public recognition awards.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete, Neuberger said. The APR includes eligibility, retention and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.
High-performing teams receiving public recognition awards posted APR scores ranging from 965 to a perfect 1,000. The university’s overall APRs will be announced by the NCAA later in the spring.
| Alabama Schools | |
|---|---|
| Alabama A&M University (1) | Women’s Basketball |
| University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (1) | Women’s Volleyball |
| Samford University (5) | Women’s Cross Country Women’s Golf Women's Soccer Women’s Track, Indoor |
| Other Southern Conference Schools | |
| Appalachian State University (1) | Women’s Field Hockey |
| Davidson College (11) | Men’s Basketball Men’s Cross Country Men’s Football Men’s Golf Men’s Track, Indoor Men’s Track, Outdoor Women’s Cross Country Women’s Soccer Women’sTennis Women’s Track, Indoor Women’s Volleyball |
| Elon University (5) | Men’s Basketball Women’s Cross Country Women’s Golf Women’s Softball Women’s Volleyball |
| Furman University (6) | Men’s Cross Country Men’s Golf Men’s Track, Outdoor Women’s Basketball Women’s Track, Indoor Women’s Track, Outdoor |
| The Citadel (2) | Women’s Track, Indoor Mixed Rifle |
| University of North Carolina-Greensboro (2) | Women’s Basketball Women’s Tennis |
| Wofford College (8) | Men’s Cross Country Men’s Tennis Men’s Track, Indoor Men’s Track, Outdoor Women’s Basketball Women’s Cross Country Women’s Track, Indoor Women’s Track, Outdoor |
