Conference

For a complete list by sport of teams receiving awards, click here.
For a complete list by institution of teams receiving awards, click here.

Somerset, NJ -- The NCAA has honored 19 Northeast Conference (NEC) teams from among nearly 800 across the nation with public recognition awards for top academic performance as part of the NCAA's academic reform program. The 19 teams represent 12 sports from seven NEC institutions: Fairleigh Dickinson University, Long Island University, Monmouth University, Mount St. Mary's University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University and St. Francis College (NY). These teams posted multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sports.

The 19 Public Recognition awards match the NEC's total from a year ago.  There were 18 NEC teams honored in 2007.

A total of nine NEC programs have earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards in each of the three years since the program was approved by the Division I Board of Directors in January 2006: Long Island women's golf and women's indoor track, Monmouth women's golf and women's tennis, Mount St. Mary's women's tennis, Quinnipiac baseball and Sacred Heart men's ice hockey, men's volleyball and women's rowing.

"I'm so proud of these programs that have been recognized for high academic achievement by the NCAA," said NEC Commissioner Brenda Weare.  "It is a testament to their dedication in the classroom as well as on the field of play.  They deserve to be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments."

The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The APR includes eligibility, retention, and graduation in the calculation and provides a clear picture of the academic culture in each sport.

The 767 teams honored represent 205 Division I institutions, more than 60 percent of the Division I membership. High-performing teams receiving awards posted APR scores ranging from 976 to a perfect 1,000 over the data collection period. 

"The vast majority of sports teams are performing very well academically and exceeding the 925 threshold for their APR scores," said NCAA President Myles Brand. "Nearly 800 of these teams are worthy of special attention, and I commend them for their excellence in academics and athletics."

The 767 teams receiving awards this year for high achievement represent 11.9 percent of the approximately 6,484 Division I teams. The list includes 448 women's teams and 319 men's or mixed squads.

Last year, a total of 712 teams were recognized. The number of teams in some sports may exceed 10 percent depending on how many achieved perfect 1,000 APR scores.

Multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports teams, including the teams receiving public recognition awards, will be announced May 6. The 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 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years.