DAYTON, Ohio - Five University of Dayton athletics programs earned Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA today for their academic performance.  The teams receiving recognition from the NCAA are in the top 10 percent of their respective sports’ multi-year APR.

The UD teams honored are women’s basketball, football, men’s golf, women’s golf and rowing.  Football was one of two Pioneer Football League teams recognized.  Men’s golf was one of two Atlantic 10 teams earning Public Recognition Awards.  There were only three women’s basketball and rowing teams cited in the A-10.  Women’s golf was one of just four teams who compete in the Colonial Athletic Association honored.

“We’re very proud of these teams earning Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA,” UD Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tim Wabler said.  “All of the indicators of academic success – whether it is today’s Public Recognition Awards, the Academic All-Atlantic 10 selections we had last week in rowing and men’s golf, or the fact that we graduated 65 seniors earlier this month, including all seven from our NIT championship team – originate in the University’s commitment to helping every student on campus reach their potential.  It’s something that runs deep in the University of Dayton culture.”

UD’s current combined APR is 98.8, second only to last year’s 99.1.  In the five years the NCAA has compiled APR data, Flyer APR’s have ranged from 97.7 to 99.1. 

Nationally, the Ivy Group (94) had the most number of teams honored in the 21 sports sponsored by the Atlantic 10, followed by the Patriot League (77), the Big East (62) and the Atlantic 10 (59).

Each year the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear APR. This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams who demonstrate a commitment to academic progress and retention of student-athletes by achieving the top APRs within their respective sports. Specifically, these teams posted multiyear APRs in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.

Multiyear APRs for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition, will be announced at a later date. That announcement also will include immediate and historical penalties for low-performing teams.  The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.