Three NDSU athletic teams have received an NCAA Public Recognition Award for top scores in the classroom, the NCAA announced on May 12. The women's golf, women's basketball and baseball teams all earned the honor.
It's the 10th overall honor and fourth straight award for the women's golf team. It is the third time the Bison baseball team has been honored, while it is the first time for the women's basketball team. The three Bison teams are among more than 1,400 Division I sports teams being honored for outstanding performance in the classroom.
Based on the most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate from the 2015-16 through 2018-19 academic years, the teams earned the awards for posting scores in the top 10 percent of their sport.
APRs for all Division I teams are scheduled to be released May 19. The rate is an annual scorecard of academic achievement calculated for all Division I sports teams nationally. Teams must meet a certain academic threshold to qualify for the postseason and can face penalties for continued low academic performance.
The 1,380 teams publicly recognized for high achievement represent 881 women's teams and 499 men's or mixed squads. This year's total number of teams recognized increased by 52 from a year ago. Scores for programs in the top 10 percent ranged from 987 to a perfect 1,000. The number of teams posting perfect scores rose to 1,266, an increase of 52 teams from last year.
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