Northwestern wins sixth straight NCAA academic award

Northwestern was honored with a Public Recognition Award for the sixth straight year by the NCAA for the school’s high academic marks.

In a May 17, 2011, release, the Wildcats were among eight wrestling programs and 909 overall Division I programs honored by the NCAA. Those other programs include Bucknell, Columbia, Duke, Lehigh, Millersville,  Air Force and Penn.

The Public Recognition Awards are based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rates through the 2009-10 academic year. These awards are given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their APRs.

Through its innovative APR, which provides an annual scorecard of academic achievement, the NCAA tracks the classroom performance of student-athletes on every Division I sports team.

Full APR scores for all teams, including penalties for low-performing teams, will be released May 24.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said top-performing teams this year posted APR scores ranging from 977 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on the number of perfect scores.

“Most student-athletes excel at balancing their academic and athletics commitments, yet each year there are those who perform at extraordinary levels,” Emmert said. “By achieving the highest levels of academic success as a team, these young men and women truly embody what it means to be a successful NCAA student-athlete.”

By measuring eligibility and retention each semester or quarter, the APR provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport, Emmert said. The most recent APRs are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 academic years.

The 909 teams publicly recognized this year for high achievement represent 14 percent of the 6,385 eligible Division I teams. The list includes 525 women’s teams and 384 men’s or mixed squads.

Last year, 841 teams were recognized.

In the six years of the NCAA’s academic reform program, 1,992 different teams have received Public Recognition Awards, representing 31 percent of eligible sports teams during that time.  Of that total, 260 teams have received Public Recognition Awards each of the six years of the program.

Northwestern University is the only wrestling program has been honored each year, while two schools have been honored with Public Recognition Awards in five of the six years:  Air Force and Penn.

All-Time NCAA Public Recognition Awards

Year-by-Year listing of teams honored for top grades in Division I

2009-10 (8 schools)

• Bucknell University PA
• Columbia University-Barnard College NY
• Duke University NC
• Lehigh University PA
• Millersville University of Pennsylvania PA
• Northwestern University IL
• U.S. Air Force Academy CO
• University of Pennsylvania PA

2008-09 (10 schools)

• Bucknell University PA
• Columbia University-Barnard College NY
• Duke University NC
• Iowa State University IA
• Millersville University of Pennsylvania PA
• Northwestern University IL
• U.S. Air Force Academy CO
• University of Oklahoma OK
• University of Pennsylvania PA
• University of Virginia VA

2007-08 (8 schools)

• Bucknell University PA
• Harvard University MA
• Liberty University VA
• Millersville University of Pennsylvania PA
• Northwestern University IL
• Pennsylvania State University PA
• U.S. Air Force Academy CO
• University of Pennsylvania PA

2006-07 (8 schools)

• Duquesne University PA
• Lehigh University PA
• Northwestern University IL
• Pennsylvania State University PA
• Stanford University CA
• U.S. Air Force Academy CO
• U.S. Naval Academy MD
• University of Pennsylvania PA

2005-06 (10 schools)

• Duquesne University PA
• Iowa State University IA
• Lehigh University PA
• Northwestern University IL
• Pennsylvania State University PA
• Stanford University CA
• U.S. Military Academy NY
• U.S. Naval Academy MD
• University of Michigan MI
• University of Pennsylvania PA

2004-05 (9 schools)

• Boston University MA
• Duquesne University PA
• Lehigh University PA
• Northwestern University IL
• Pennsylvania State University PA
• Stanford University CA
• U.S. Air Force Academy CO
• U.S. Military Academy NY
• U.S. Naval Academy MD