May 13, 2010

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame again ranks among the national leaders among all 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions as the NCAA today honored Division I sports teams with 2010 public recognition awards for their latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores.

These teams posted multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports. The public recognition awards are part of the broad Division I academic reform effort. These awards are based on the most recent APR numbers that represent the combination of scores from the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.

Notre Dame had 14 of its programs honored this year for the multi-year achievement — men’s basketball, men’s cross country, men’s football, men’s golf, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, men’s tennis, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s rowing, women’s soccer, women’s softball and women’s tennis. Notre Dame also had 14 programs honored in 2009. Eleven Irish programs were honored each of the previous two years, in both 2007 and 2008. The only former Division I football-playing institution that had more programs honored this year than the 14 from Notre Dame was Duke with 15. Next in line were Boston College (13), Northwestern (10), the U.S. Naval Academy (nine), Stanford and North Carolina (eight each), Vanderbilt (seven) and Rice, Michigan and Virginia (six each)

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. In 2007, 839 teams were recognized, in 2008 712 were honored, last year the number was 767 – and in 2010 a record 841 teams were honored. Among BCS conference schools the BIG EAST Conference ranked first with 70 teams honored (compared to 60 a year ago).

Multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition awards, will be announced at a later date. The announcement also will include immediate and historical penalties for low-performing teams.

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