June 14, 2012

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame ranked number one once again among all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions with 17 of its athletics programs receiving 2012 Academic Progress Rate public recognition awards, as announced Thursday by the NCAA, honoring Division I sports teams for their latest multi-year APR scores.

These 17 Irish teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The public recognition honors are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. These awards are based on the recent APR numbers that represent the combination of scores from the 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years.

Here are the 17 Notre Dame programs honored this year for the multi-year achievement:

• Men’s Sports (10): baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field and outdoor track & field.
• Women’s Sports (7): cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field.

This is the second consecutive year that a program-best 17 Irish teams were honored with the award. Prior to 2011, 15 programs were recognized in 2010 after 14 programs were honored in 2009. Eleven Irish teams earned recognition each of the previous two years, in both 2007 and 2008.

Here are the former Division I football-playing institutions that ranked in the top 10 this year, in terms of programs honored:

1.  Notre Dame          172.  Duke        133.  Boston College  10    Northwestern    10    Stanford        107.  Texas        7    Wake Forest          79.  Rice         610. Illinois         5    Miami (Fla.)     5    Ohio State       5    Tulane       5

The APR provides a real-time look at a team’s academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes both retention at an institution and academic eligibility in its calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

The effort is part of a public-recognition program the Division I Board of Directors approved in January 2006. A record 954 teams were publicly recognized this year for high achievement representing 560 women’s teams and 394 men’s or mixed squads. Last year in 2011, 909 teams were honored. In 2007, 839 teams were recognized, followed by 712 in 2008, 767 in 2009, and 841 in 2010.

Top performing APRs this year ranged from 978 to a perfect 1,000 with the majority of teams earning a perfect APR. Five national champions from the 2010-11 school year, including Notre Dame women’s soccer team, are included in this year’s award’s list.

The BIG EAST Conference had 70 of its teams — by far the most among all FBS conferences — honored by the NCAA.

Full multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports team, including access to postseason play and penalties for low-performing teams, will be released on June 20.

— ND —