RENO — The University of Nevada athletics department saw a record three of its sports program receive Public Recognition Awards as part of the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program, the NCAA announced.
The APR program is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all NCAA programs.
The Wolf Pack’s football, volleyball and women’s golf teams each scored a perfect 1,000 in the single-year data for the 2016-17 academic years, and were in the top 10 percent of all of the teams in their respective sports to earn the Public Recognition Awards.
Nevada’s sports programs have been honored with Public Recognition Awards 15 times over the past nine years. This is the fourth straight season that Wolf Pack volleyball has earned the distinction, and the second straight season for women’s golf.
This is the first such honor for the Nevada football program as the Wolf Pack is one of just 13 schools in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) to earn public recognition.
Outside of two of the service academies (Air Force and Navy), Nevada is the only school from a Group of Five conference to earn Public Recognition for football this year.
Teams earning Public Recognition Awards increased to 1,284, up by 79 from the previous academic year, largely as a result of an increase in perfect scores. Of the teams recognized, 457 competed in men’s or mixed sports, and 827 competed in women’s sports.
APRs for programs in the top 10 percent ranged from 985 to a perfect 1,000, and the number of teams posting perfect scores increased to 1,188, marking an increase of 98 teams from last year.
“I applaud every program earning a Public Recognition Award this year for their commitment to going above and beyond to prepare students for life after college through academic achievement,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said in an NCAA release.
APR scores for all Division I teams will be released May 23. The APR measures eligibility, graduation and retention each semester or academic term and provides a clear picture of the 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 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 academic years.
