By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's golf and women's cross country teams are among those receiving Public Recognition Awards Wednesday from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for top academic performance. The awards are presented to teams scoring in the Top 10 percent nationally in the Multi-Year Academic Progress Rate (APR), which is part of the NCAA's academic reform program.
"We are always supremely proud of the academic success achieved by of all our teams," said Mark Wilson, TTU Director of Athletics. "This latest news of the Public Recognition Awards for the men's golf and women's cross country teams shows, yet again, that we are successfully fulfilling our mission toward our student-athletes. I want to congratulate Coach [Polk] Brown and Coach [Wayne] Angel, as well as their staffs and the student-athletes. These honors speak to the diligence and hard work of our student-athletes. Our students are coming in better prepared when they enter Tennessee Tech, and they are staying on track to earn their degrees."
Men's golf coach Polk Brown spoke about the lofty expectations set upon his student-athletes and the significance of the honor.
"It is an honor for these young men to be recognized by the NCAA for their academic accomplishments," he said. "The most important thing we stress to our players when they get to Tech is they are here to get a degree before anything else. They understand the importance of going to class, putting in the work and making good grades. They know the expectation is they have to perform in the classroom before they can do anything on the golf course. It's a testament to how well they balance the student-athlete lifestyle."
Golden Eagle women's cross country coach Wayne Angel expressed his gratitude to the NCAA and said the program's goals are to continue growing on the course and in the classroom.
"Our goal has always been to graduate and win championships," he explained. "That's the emphasis. I'm very proud and honored that our ladies continue to get it done in the classroom and are getting better and better athletically in the conference. It is an honor to recognized by the NCAA for our prowess in the classroom and our APR. We're going to do our best to keep this tradition growing."
Each year, the NCAA honors selected Division I sports teams by publicly recognizing their latest multiyear NCAA Division I Academic Progress Rate (APR). 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.
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 APR awards two points each term to student-athletes who meet academic eligibility standards and who remain with the institution. A team's APR is the total points earned by the team at a given time divided by the total points possible, multiplied by 1,000. It includes four years (this year's numbers included the school years of 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17). 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.
Tech was among 10 OVC schools that produced award winners in a sport. Tech joined UT Martin as the only public institutions in the state whose men's golf team was honored. The Golden Eagle women's cross country team was one of just three pulbic institutions honored in the state of Tennessee.
"Our student-athletes have done a tremendous job, but credit should also go to the coaches, Dr. Lance Jasitt (assistant athletic director for academics and student welfare) and his staff, including Leveda Dexter, Ashlee Kiser and Virginia Lewis," Wilson said. "They have developed programs that provide support and direction, and allow our student-athletes to achieve at the highest levels."
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 all Division I teams will be released May 23. The APR 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.
