Men's Cross Country Earns NCAA APR Public Recognition Award
5/7/2014 2:24:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
2012-13 marks third consecutive recognition for the program
More than 1,000 Division I sports teams are being honored by the NCAA for top scores in the classroom and Montana State Men's Cross Country is one of them. Earning the NCAA Public Recognition Award for the 2012-13 academic year marks the third year in a row the Bobcat harriers have garnered such honors.
Based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate, these teams have earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport.
"The men's cross country team has always stayed true to the definition of student-athlete," said Director of Athletics, Peter Fields. "They've proven competitive on the course and in the classroom and represent Montana State University in the best light possible, giving us tremendous pride in their achievements."
APRs for all Division I teams will be released May 14. The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason, and they also can face penalties for continued low academic performance.
The 1,049 teams publicly recognized for high achievement represent 631 women's teams and 418 men's or mixed squads. In 2013, 976 teams were recognized.
The scores required to be in the top ten ranged from 980 to a perfect 1,000, depending on the sport, with the majority of top 10 teams earning a perfect APR.
"Each year, more and more teams are achieving perfect APR scores," said NCAA president Mark Emmert. "We are proud of our member schools' commitment to providing tremendous opportunities for student-athletes so they can succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life."
Dartmouth College had the most teams (26 of 28) recognized, followed by Brown University (22 of 31) and Bucknell University (21 of 27). The conferences with the most teams receiving recognition are the Ivy League (117), Patriot League (94), Atlantic Coast Conference (77) and Big Ten Conference (66).
The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or quarter and provides a clear picture of the academic performance for each team in each sport. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-2012 and 2012-13 academic years.
