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BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Thirty-six Ohio Valley Conference teams were among those who received public recognition awards for top academic performance from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
This announcement is part of the overall Division I academic reform effort and is intended to highlight teams that 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.
In total, 11 different OVC member institutions earned at least one award, up one from 10 institutions a year ago. The 36 programs was a one-year record total for the OVC.
The 36 teams honored (up from 29 a year ago) included nine from Belmont (men's basketball, women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's golf, women's golf, men's track & field, women's soccer and women's tennis), six from Murray State (baseball, men's cross country, men's golf, rifle, softball and women's tennis), four each from Austin Peay (women's cross country, women's golf, women's tennis and volleyball), Eastern Illinois (men's golf, women's golf, men's tennis and women's tennis) and SIUE (men's golf, women's cross country, women's tennis and volleyball), two apiece from Eastern Kentucky (men's golf and women's golf), Southeast Missouri (women's cross country and volleyball) and Tennessee Tech (men's golf and women's golf) and one from each Morehead State (volleyball), Tennessee State (women's golf) and UT Martin (men's golf).
The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the ongoing academic performance for each team in every sport. All teams must meet an academic threshold of 930 to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance. The most recent APRs are multiyear rates based on scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years.
This year 1,328 teams (857 women's teams, 471 men's or mixed teams) were publicly recognized for high academic achievement. In all, 321 Division I institutions placed at least one team on the list.
Multi-year APR scores for all Division I sports teams will be announced on May 8.
Specific OVC Member Institution Notes
• The sport of men's golf have the most individual teams recognized with awards (7).
• For the third consecutive year, four Austin Peay teams earned recognition. The Govs women's golf team earned an award for the seventh consecutive year.
• Belmont is one of 40 institutions who have received Public Recognition Awards in each of the 14 years of the program. The Bruins men's basketball program the only Division I men's hoops program to earn the award in each of the 14 years. The Bruins women's golf team earned its 11th-straight honor.
• This marks the 12th-straight year that Eastern Illinois has had multiple teams earn the NCAA Public Recognition Award.
• The Eastern Kentucky women's golf team earned its fourth-straight honor.
• The Morehead State volleyball earned its eighth-straight honor.
• Murray State's six awards are a school record and along with Kentucky the most of any school in the state.
• The Southeast Missouri women's cross country and volleyball teams claimed their fourth-straight honor, marking the first time the Redhawks collected multiple NCAA Public Recognition awards in four-straight years.
• Tennessee Tech and UT Martin were the only public institutions in the state of Tennessee to have their men's golf teams honored.